Studies: Route 301 Corridor Study in Town of Port Royal

The Virginia Department of Transportation has conducted an arterial management study of Route 301 in the Town of Port Royal.

Final Study Document and Appendices

The plan’s scope included Route 301, A.P. Hill Boulevard/Main Street, intersection of Route 301 and Route 17 and the segment leading to the James Madison Bridge over the Rappahannock River.

Route 301 serves regional and local travelers as a critical alternate route to Interstate 95. It also serves as the gateway to the historic town of Port Royal.

The plan reviewed existing conditions including crash analysis, traffic operations and access locations. The plan also examined future land use, safety and operations.

This is a sub-study following an earlier, much larger one completed in 2018 that included the Route 301/207 corridor from the Harry W. Nice Bridge in King George County to Interstate-95 Exit 104 (Carmel Church) in Caroline County. You can find its findings here.

VDOT started studying the Route 301 corridor in and around Port Royal in late 2018.

The goals of this study is to enhance mobility and improve safety while preserving the town’s historic character and natural resources.

As part of the study, the department held a community meeting and established an online survey in December 2018 to entice the traveling public to develop and share their ideas. Paper copies of the survey were also made available at the Caroline County Public Library, Port Royal branch.

VDOT received 180 responses to the online survey.

The study focused on two areas: Route 301/Route 17 intersection and Route 301 through the Town of Port Royal.

To see designs of each option, please click on the "Public Outreach" tab to the right. 

Route 301/Route 17 Intersection Options

• OPTION A: Intersection Improvements
  • Optimize signal operations
  • Provide an additional southbound left-turn lane on Route 301 (Dual left-turn lanes)
  • Provide a dedicated westbound left-turn lane on Route 17
  • Add pedestrian accommodations 

• OPTION B: Build Quadrant Roadway
  • Build a new connector "Quadrant Roadway" in the northeast corner of the existing intersection to serve northbound and southbound left turns
  • Divert heavy southbound left turn volume prior to existing intersection of Route 301 and Route 17
  • Reduce number of phases at existing intersection of Route 301 and Route 17
  • Provide two new coordinated signals at the secondary connections 

• OPTION C: Market Street Extension (with or without Quadrant Roadway)
  • Extend Market Street south to Route 17, paralleling Route 301 to the east, providing increased connectivity to the Town of Port Royal
  • May be combined with the Quadrant Roadway option or may stand-alone, connecting directly to Route 17
  • This alternative increases safety by reducing the need for residents of Port Royal to make left turns off of and onto Route 301   

Route 301 through the Town of Port Royal

• OPTION A: Two-Way Left-Turn Lane
  • Provides a center turning lane for northbound and southbound left turning movements on Route 301
  • Adds pedestrian accommodations with "spot-median" locations for crossing Route 301 

• OPTION B: Full Raised Median
  • Reduces the number of turning point conflicts and provides protected left turns on Route 301
  • Provides a "Florida T" acceleration lane on Route 301 southbound from Caroline Street
  • Adds pedestrian accommodations with crosswalk locations, including median refuge areas
  • Provides potential for median landscaping 

• OPTION C: One-Way Pair "Couplet"
  • Construct a new two-lane roadway, paralleling Route 301 to the west, for southbound traffic
  • Convert existing Route 301 to a two-lane roadway for northbound traffic
  • Provides future opportunity to expand grid pattern to west side of Route 301
  • Provides opportunities for pedestrian accommodation

 

Benefits 

The purpose of the study is to develop a list of alternative transportation projects that will improve safety and efficiency in the corridor. These conceptual alternatives will be eligible for funding resources, including VDOT’s SMART SCALE  program.