Studies: U.S. 17 (Winchester Rd.) at Rt. 245 (Old Tavern Rd.)/Rt. 703 (Enon Church Rd.), Fauquier Co.

Study Details

VDOT Culpeper District is partnering with Fauquier County and the community to create a safer environment for drivers at the intersection of U.S. 17 (Winchester Road/James Madison Highway) and Route 245 (Old Tavern Road)/Route 703 (Enon Church Road). Between Jan. 1, 2014 and Nov. 10, 2021, 30 reportable crashes happened at the intersection killing three people and severely injuring two.

This intersection places 66th in the list of top potential safety improvement intersections in the Culpeper District.

VDOT completed two studies of the intersection — one in July 2021 and one in March 2022.

– July 2021 Study (PDF)
– March 2022 Study (PDF)

Benefits 

The study goals are to propose short-term and long-term solutions to improve safety at the intersection, primarily for drivers who are turning left onto U.S. 17 from Route 245.

Study Findings

Short-term improvements include:

1. New pavement striping at stop signs for vehicles crossing or entering U.S. 17 traffic.
2. Removal of extraneous signs which could distract drivers.
3. Re-focus warning signs of the presence of the intersection. Includes the addition of flashing beacons to the intersection warning signs.
4. Install “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” signs for drivers crossing or entering U.S. 17 traffic.
5. Install rumble strips on Route 245 westbound well ahead of the intersection to warn drivers of the stop ahead.
6. Install “optical speed bars” on the U.S. 17 approaches to the intersection with Route 245. These are pavement markings designed to serve as a traffic calming device.

Long-term improvements include:

(The study considered several, and recommended two as preferable)

1. Split Intersection
A Split Intersection is an interesting idea involving the redirection of southbound traffic on Route 245 to follow Route 845 (Old Winchester Road) to U.S. 17. It allows traffic turning off U.S. 17 to continue to use Route 245 to go to Great Meadows, Interstate 66 and The Plains.

– Relatively low cost: $500,000
– Quickly implemented: 12-24 months

2. R-CUT
An R-CUT design which allows traffic from U.S. 17 to access Route 245 directly, but forces traffic exiting Route 245 to turn right and utilize a U-turn to access U.S. 17 southbound.

– Provides the least likelihood for crashes by removing left turn conflicts
– Higher cost: $5 million to $7 million
– Best long-term benefit to cost ratio and most likely to achieve SMART SCALE funding