Virginia Department of Transportation 

SUMMARY of Road Safety Audit REPORT 

Road Safety Audit on US 29 

Albemarle County, Virginia 

Project Data 

Date: August 21 – 22, 2007 

RSA Team and Participants: 

Dan Nabors, P.E. – VHB, Inc. 

Frank Gross, Ph.D., E.I. – VHB, Inc. 

Bill Parman – Virginia Department of Transportation 

Mike Gardner – Virginia Department of Transportation 

Darin Simpson – Virginia Department of Transportation 

Greg Krystyniak – Virginia Department of Transportation 

Arun Raj – Virginia Department of Transportation 

Jack Kelsey – Albemarle County 

Paul Tremont – FHWA – TFHRC 

Josue Yambo – FHWA – Virginia Division Office 

Aaron Zappone – SAIC 

First Sergeant Travis Perdue – Virginia State Police 

Background: 

The Road Safety Audit was conducted along a 2.5 segment of US 29 in 

Albemarle County, Virginia and included evaluations of the highway’s intersection 

with Seminole Court, Woodbrook Drive, and Branchlands Boulevard/Premier 

Circle. These intersections qualified for the list of critical intersections in the 

region and were ranked based on three years of crash data (June 2004 – May 

2007). 

RSA Process: 

The process detailed in the FHWA Road Safety Audit Guidelines (Publication 

FHWA-SA-06-06) was utilized for conducting this RSA. A crash risk assessment 

was conducted for each issue with the assessment based on the expected crash 

frequency and severity. Each safety issue was assigned a ranking from lowest to 

highest crash risk and priority. For each safety issue identified, possible 

mitigation measures were suggested. The suggestions focused on measures that 

can be cost-effectively implemented. 

RSA Stage: Existing Road

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Virginia Department of Transportation 

Major RSA Findings 

Issue 1: Uncontrolled access to properties adjacent to US 29 increases risk of 

conflicts and collisions. 

Location: Multiple Locations along US 29 (Albemarle County) 

Description of Safety Issue: General properties adjacent to US 29, including 

numerous commercial developments, have direct and uncontrolled access to the 

highway throughout the corridor. In addition, local roads intersect US 29 

frequently along the corridor. Drivers turning right, onto or off of the highway, at a 

series of virtually continuous, unmarked, and uncontrolled access points may 

conflict with through vehicles on the highway, other vehicles entering or exiting 

the highway, or pedestrians walking on the sidewalk. 

 

Suggestion: 

Develop an access management plan to reduce the number of current access 

points and consider opportunities to consolidate adjacent access points to reduce 

the number of conflict points. 

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Virginia Department of Transportation 

Issue 2: Signing and Pavement Marking 

Location: Multiple Locations along US 29 (Albemarle County) 

Description of Safety Issue: 

The RSA Team observed worn or missing signs and pavement markings, which 

may limit driver guidance, especially at night. The team also noticed that lane 

use signage is inconsistent on mainline and side streets. Additional driver 

confusion may be caused by obsolete signage that increases visual clutter. 

Suggestion: 

The RSA Team suggests taking measures to improve signing and marking. 

Existing signing and pavement markings should be reviewed and VDOT should 

develop an action plan as part of the RSA report. These corrections are relatively 

low cost and include the maintenance of pavement markings, installation of 

proper signs, and removal of obsolete signs. 

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Virginia Department of Transportation 

Issue 3: Drainage and Maintenance 

Location: Multiple Locations along US 29 (Albemarle County) 

Description of Safety Issue: 

Several sections of the roadway exhibited poor drainage due to what appears to 

be insufficient and improperly placed drainage inlets in the study area. 

Overgrown roadside vegetation was also found on the corridor, reducing sight 

distance and blocking guide signs in several locations. Maintenance of 

pavement may be an issue in some areas of the corridor from pavement rutting 

along portions of the study section. 

Suggestion: 

Consider measures to improve drainage, including a comprehensive review of 

the existing drainage structures. Also remove or cut-back vegetation to improve 

sight distance and sign visibility and ensure the current vegetation maintenance 

program adequately addresses issues. The Team also suggests reviewing the 

pavement management plan to determine the next scheduled overlay. Pavement 

repair (short term) and rehabilitation/reconstruction (long term) can be 

considered by VDOT. 

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Virginia Department of Transportation 

Issue 4: Operations and Design 

Location: Multiple Locations along US 29 (Albemarle County) 

Description of Safety Issue: 

While recommendations for operational improvements are not the primary 

objective of the RSA, there are several operational issues that may be adversely 

affecting safety including the following. 

• Peak period turning volumes exceed the capacity of the turn lanes and 

queues for through vehicles extend between intersections. 

• Right-turn lanes are being used as a passing lane by some drivers. 

• The far right lane does not reinforce the four-lane cross-section to 

motorists. 

• U-turn vehicles are conflicting with right-turn on red vehicles. 

• There is an inconsistent cross-section in the southbound direction. 

• The posted speed limit along US 29 (45 mph) may be creating a dilemma 

zone for drivers. 

• Traffic signal coordination is causing drivers to stop at consecutive traffic 

signals. 

 

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Virginia Department of Transportation 

Suggestion: 

Several measures are recommended by the Team to improve safety. 

Recommendations include the following. 

• Extend right- and left-turn lanes to accommodate peak demand. 

• Use enforcement to mitigate illegal maneuvers. 

• Revise signal operations and lane configurations to clear queues. 

• Provide consistent cross-sections and lane use markings. 

• Separate right-turn lanes from through lanes. 

• Sign for U-turns or RTOR. 

• Review the yellow phase to ensure adequate time to eliminate the 

dilemma zone. 

• Optimize signal timing and adjusting offsets. 

• Consider installation of VMS signs to warn motorists of congestion and 

stopped vehicles. 

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Virginia Department of Transportation 

Issue 5: Lighting 

Location: Multiple Locations along US 29 (Albemarle County) 

Description of Safety Issue: 

Overhead lighting is not present along the entire study area, which is inconsistent 

with other similar facilities in the area where overhead lighting is provided. 

Lighting is a particular concern at intersections, especially where pedestrian 

crossings are likely to occur. 

Suggestion: 

Assess the feasibility of lighting. VDOT should conduct a study to assess the 

feasibility of providing lighting along the corridor. Lighting on the corridor will help 

increase the conspicuity of turning vehicles entering the roadway from the 

numerous access points along the corridor. 

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Virginia Department of Transportation 

Issue 6: Pedestrian Facilities 

Location: Multiple Locations along US 29 (Albemarle County) 

Description of Safety Issue: 

The design of some pedestrian facilities may limit their usefulness. While 

sidewalks are provided along both sides of US 29, there are no crosswalks or 

pedestrian signals at any of the intersections in the study area. There are 

several bus stops along US 29, but these facilities are not always clearly marked 

and are sometimes not located near intersections where pedestrians typically 

cross. Furthermore, bus stops are sometimes placed in locations where there 

are multiple access points. Additionally, some pedestrian facilities need to be 

upgraded to current accessibility standards. 

Suggestion: 

Place continental/ladder crosswalk pavement markings. Place pedestrian pushbutton activated signals with pedestrian countdown signals at major intersections 

along US 29 where practical and feasible after properly considering the safety, 

demand, timing, and signal coordination issues. Consider improvements to bus 

stops to improve pedestrian safety by 1) moving bus stops closer to intersections 

to discourage mid-block crossings, and 2) ensuring bus stops are well lit with an 

adequate waiting area. The team also suggests installing street lighting. 

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