Suffolk intersection causing fear; city says change is coming

Posted: Feb 11, 2020 / 06:01 AM MST

Updated: Feb 11, 2020 / 09:03 AM MST

SUFFOLK, Va. — A man in Suffolk fears an intersection could be deadly if changes aren’t made, and he’s demanding answers from the city.

The intersection at question is the westbound lanes of U.S. 460/Pruden Blvd & Old Myrtle Road. People travel this way to get to Petersburg.

Windsor resident Jason Curle said he and his wife travel here every day to get to work and they fear the worst. The concern is there’s no turning lane for drivers heading westbound on U.S. 460 to turn left onto Old Myrtle Road.

“Ever since I’ve been driving, this road has been extremely frustrating right here,” Curle said. “My biggest fear is me or my wife getting killed with my daughter in the car.”

He’s begging the city of Suffolk to take action.

“This is a dangerous road here as it is, but this intersection is probably one of the worst of my travels,” he said. “I go all over Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Gloucester, and I’ve seen more accidents here than I’ve seen in a lot of places.”

He’s asking the city to take this gore out of the road and make it a turning lane.

10 On Your Side’s Madison Glassman reached out to city officials, who said plans are already in the works to make changes to this intersections and others on U.S. 460.

Diana Klink with the City of Suffolk says with the construction of a new solar farm along U.S. 460 will allow for space to create a left turn lane onto Old Myrtle Road.

Until then, she said it’s OK for drivers to use the striped area as a turning lane.

Klink said U.S. 460 is very old and was built by VDOT when there wasn’t as many drivers on the road. She said there are several spots on U.S. 460 that lack turning lanes — something the city is working to get funding to fix.

Crash data for U.S. 460 and Old Myrtle Road shows there’s been about 20 crashes in the last five years — most with injuries. No fatalities. However, not all crashes are recorded.

Klink said the city is working to get money for improvements to U.S. 460 and has already started a project on U.S. 460 and Prudence Road.

She said turning lanes in and out of the new solar farm will be completed in the spring and that’s when drivers can expect a left turn lane onto Old Myrtle Road as well.

If you have any concerns on the road, contact Traffic Anchor Madison Glassman.