In Design: Route 3-McDevitt Drive Roundabout

This project will convert the existing intersection of Route 3 (Germanna Highway) and McDevitt Drive in the town of Culpeper to a roundabout. In the current configuration, traffic turning from McDevitt Drive onto Route 3 is controlled by a stop sign, while traffic on Route 3 is free flowing. 

A public hearing for the proposed project was held on Thursday, April 28, 2022, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the VDOT Culpeper District Auditorium, 1601 Orange Road, Culpeper, VA 22701. The right-of-way acquisition phase is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2023.

The project is fully funded through the SMART SCALE project selection process.

With this project, a sidewalk is proposed along the southeast quadrant of the intersection, adjacent to the northbound travel lanes on McDevitt Drive.

Approximately 8,500 vehicles use Route 3 near the intersection, according to recent data. The traffic count on McDevitt Drive is about 5,100 vehicles per day.

Benefits 

This project will improve safety at the intersection by eliminating left-turn movements across traffic traveling at speed on Route 3. It will also eliminate the "blind spot" for drivers turning from McDevitt Drive created by vehicles on Route 3 turning right. Those vehicles momentarily obscure other vehicles in the travel lane.

According to crash data recorded between 2016 and 2020, there were a total of 25 crashes within the intersection area. Of these,18 were angle crashes and 19 resulted in an injury.

To improve motorist safety and traffic efficiency at this location, the project will reconstruct the intersection as a single-lane roundabout. Roundabouts are designed to remove conflicts that arise from left-turn movements at traditional stop-controlled intersections. They are also proven to reduce crash frequency by about 80 percent as well as crash severity.

Major Milestones 

Right of way acquisition begins in spring 2023.