VDOT blames 'kitchen sink' for Route 60 issue in Buckingham

The numbers continue to rise. No matter what traffic studies are done, the number of accidents at the intersection of Route 60 and Route 632 in Buckingham County continues to increase each year. The most recent case involved a Longwood student who had to be airlifted for treatment for injuries.

“I've been on the Board of Supervisors for the past two years, so this is probably the most serious thing I've talked about,” Cameron Gilliam said. He represents District 2 on the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors.

But the problem, Gilliam believes, is that not enough is being done to prevent accidents. In 2022, the board first asked the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to conduct an investigation. The number of collisions at intersections increased that year. The commission asked to revisit the site in 2023, and VDOT installed signs pointing to the intersection. Still, the number of accidents increased again.

On Monday, May 13, much of the supervisors' meeting focused on addressing issues at that intersection, with VDOT District Engineer Scott Frederick answering questions and explaining what is being done.

Frederick said when VDOT installed the signs last year, it thought they would help reduce accidents. And as long as people paid attention to the signs, it seemed to be OK, he said. In one of the incidents last year, a resident admitted to being distracted. The other was a teenage driver who wasn't paying attention to the road.

Change route 60

But supervisors believe that number continues to grow. And they are tired of asking for more to be done.

“I have asked him four or five times to address this issue,” Gilliam told Frederick on Monday. “I said somebody's going to get killed or somebody's going to get sued. What happens when you're coming from Longwood to northern Virginia is that your GPS is going to take you closer through the back roads than going up Route 15.” So the GPS will send you in that direction (toward the Route 60 intersection).

He noted that the Longwood student suffered a T-bone and the accident was so bad that EMS contacted VDOT and asked them to do something. Gilliam also noted that residents may be crossing that intersection and not realize it until it's too late.

“My mom and a friend from Yorktown came down from Farmville about six weeks ago,” Gilliam said. “Before they knew it, they were shooting across the road.”

Frederick said VDOT isn't ignoring intersections, but past solutions simply haven't worked.

“It's been talked about for a few years now, and I'm grateful that everyone is proactive about it,” Frederick said of the Route 60 intersection. “We've had calls from the fire department as well. So it's been studied closely.”

What could be the solution?

That said, what can be done to fix the problem? Frederick said VDOT won't have an automatic answer, but the group will essentially “try everything.” .

The first step is to obtain an easement and drive on the right shoulder of both routes to Route 60. The goal here, Frederick said, is to make sure people never have to worry about tree branches blocking their view again.

Step 2 will include stop signs on all approaches, which will be an oversized 48 x 48 design. These signs will also be relocated closer to the shoulder of Route 632.

Step 3, VDOT adds lateral rumble strips to each approach.

“It's like throwing the kitchen sink at it,” Frederick said, adding that work will begin soon in terms of obtaining easements.

Supervisors said they hope the approach will work.

“I hope this helps someone and saves a life,” Gilliam said.