Mixed reviews for VB traffic mitigation effort
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — People have mixed opinions on changes to the intersection at Kempsville and Indian River roads in Virginia Beach.
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Some say the changes haven’t reduced crashes and are confusing, while others applaud the city for designing an intersection that, in their opinion, can efficiently move 100,000 vehicles per day.
It’s a change that’s being proposed for another high-incident area along Independence Boulevard near Interstate 264 in the Town Center area of the city as part of a solution there to help reduce crashes.
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A city video shows the design rendering how drivers were supposed to navigate what they called a unique intersection that Virginia Beach finished in 2019.
The city provided these crash numbers since the intersection was redesigned:
2019 — 28 crashes
2020 — 53 crashes
2021 — 41 crashes
2022 — 28 crashes
2023 —18 crashes
The worst year was 2020, with the statistics improving after that.
David Frost, who navigated Wednesday through one of the median U-turns that is one of the main features of the traffic mitigation efforts at Kempsville and Indian River roads, said that “it’s a little awkward with the stop lights here, so having to come up here instead of making a left turn right back there is a little awkward. It seems out of the way to come up here, do a U-turn and go and come back to go down Kempsville Road.”
The city video states that “left turns from Indian River Road to Kempsville Road will be accomplished by using an indirect left.”
Drivers use the constructed U-turns to complete the left turn.
Virginia Beach’s David Jarman, a transportation division manager for the city, calls it an innovative intersection design.
“When you are trying to judge whether someone is coming or not, it eliminates that movement,” Jarman said. “It improves safety and improves efficiency of the intersection.”
The goal is to keep traffic moving up and down Indian River Road and Kempsville Road unobstructed and funnel those wanting to turn right or left into separate lanes to make U-turns.
Businessman Tim Jongquist, however, said he leaves his business every day and can’t get out of the shopping center because so much traffic is backing up on Indian River Road.
“I’m going left outside of this intersection,” Jongquist said. “You have people coming in both directions, causing moments where you have to wait. You are honking your horn, and there’s no way to get out.”
Christie says she’s lost business at Auto Zone.
“What the city has done is terrible. It is a very congested area already and then to put that in there, which was supposed to help with congestion, but it has not helped with congestion at all…I have lost customers because nobody wants to deal with that intersection. People are calling us asking for my location, and I tell them where I am, and they ask does anyone else has it? I have to tell them another store that has it because they don’t want to deal with that intersection.”
Scott Hall thinks the changes are positive. Traffic is moving, and Hall gives Virginia Beach an A.
“I think it is very convenient,” Hall said. “I find the lights turn very quickly, so I’m very happy with it. I definitely get through this intersection quickly.”
After our report at 5, a 10 On Your Side viewer emailed that, when friends come to visit, they meet them at Regent University and lead them back to the house, afraid they will get lost in the new intersection.
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