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But if the traffic does increase, chance^Are it will increase with or without the four-lane. Recent experience with Route 522, after Route 17 through Fauquier County was closed, has proven that trucks — although they may prefer divided highways — have no qualms about coming over Chester Gap and through the village of Flint Hill to Route 211, then on to Route 29 in Warrenton or Culpeper. Truckers use the most direct route — be it over two- or four-lane roads.
An improved two-lane road, while perhaps aesthetically more pleasing, will probably end up costing nearly what a four-lane would cost. That’s the opinion of Don Askew, a highway engineer with 15 years experience in the Rappahannock-Fauquier residency.
The reason? While sections of the two-lane are improved, the traffic has to go somewhere else. That means a new section of temporary highway must be constructed. After the improvements are completed, that temporary road must be torn up and the land restored.
And after you’re done, Mr. Askew concluded, oncoming traffic is still only six inches away—just over the yellow line. Route 21 i can be improved and made into a better two-lane road, but it won’t be as safe as a divided highway.
This is one case where the residents of Rappahannock County need to put safety first. Divided highways, where oncoming traffic is separated by a median strip, offer a larger margin for error than do two-lane roads.
True, the road has a better safety record than highways state-wide — so far. That may change tomorrow. Each year, more cars and trucks are using the road. The fact that there have been relatively few accidents is a blessing, but not an argument against constructing a more modern, safer road.
We don’t think that VDOT ought to wait for accident rates to increase before improving the road. Accidents are more than statistics — they are torn flesh, broken bones and suffering. Ask the children who lost their fathers when a truck landed atop their van in a ditch in front of the Rappahannock Farmers Co-op. In seconds, a pleasant summer drive turned into a nightmare, and two people died.
We think that improvements ought to be made now — to ensure that the road continues to be safer than highways in other parts of the state.
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