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Over the last few months, residents and supervisors alike have been very vocal about concerns over the intersection of Route 45, Route 616 and Route 684 in Cumberland County. Officials from the Virginia Department of Transportation want to make it clear they’ve heard the concerns and have a plan in mind.

During the Tuesday, May 9 Cumberland Board of Supervisors meeting, Keith Rider proposed that the intersection become an all-way stop. Rider serves as a VDOT traffic engineer for the Lynchburg division, of which Cumberland is part.

Back at the March 14 meeting, Rider had proposed a plan for more signage and to put a warning sign at the intersection, however, the board asked for a four-way stop study as those who drive this road are locals and they expected any signage would be ignored.

Plan for Cumberland County intersection

In the four-way stop plan, the stop signs will be large four-way stop signs. There will also be stop-ahead signs with flashing and solar-powered LED lights to make sure drivers notice the traffic change. The signposts will also have reflective tape to enhance night-time visibility. Stop ahead pavement messages will also be there to warn drivers.

“Basically what we want to do is make sure that the changed condition is recognizable to the traveling public who don’t use this intersection every day because we want to make sure the advanced notice is very visible,” said Rider.

Other changes include rumble strips in both directions on Route 45. The plan also looks at removing some of the pavement in the turn to better outline it and reduce “cheating” when taking it. The speed will also be changed from 55 to 45 miles per hour to give consistency.

The board voted to approve this plan. According to VDOT engineer Scott Fredrick, the plan is to implement this within 60 days.