If you like roundabouts, there may be another one along Route 151 coming your way.
With the traffic circle construction at the Rt. 151/Rt. 250 intersection nearing completion, there’s already talk about a similar traffic improvement at the intersection of Rt. 151/Rt. 6 (River Road) between Greenfield and Nellysford. According to Nelson County administrator Candy McGarry, such a project has been recommended for funding through VDOT’s Smart Scale process, which could conceivably be approved in June if the Commonwealth Transportation Board signs off on it.
Below is the Rt. 151 Corridor Improvement study that will be formally presented to the Nelson County Board of Supervisors at their February meeting.
The study area spans roughly 14 miles, stretching along Rt. 151 from Avon to Beech Grove as you approach Brents Gap. Included in the 39-page report is a Crash Heat Map, a compelling visual representation of the white knuckling hot spots along the corridor.
Notice that big yellow blob in the center: River Rd and Rt. 151. A key takeaway from the study reveals that the intersection operations along the study route are “generally good” with the “exception for River Rd.” It is worth noting the fatal accident at this intersection that claimed the life of a Scottsville man in October 2022 wasn’t included in this review. The crash analysis only includes data from 2017 through 2021.
The February BOS meeting falls on Valentine’s Day this year with the afternoon session starting at 2pm and an evening session beginning at 7pm. Now’s the time to pen your Supervisor a love letter.
I agree that something must be done at this intersection. I have traveled this route from Rt. 6 to 151 across Afton twice a day for the past 17 years. My worry is how many crashes will there be here during construction especially caused by frustrated drivers? The construction of the 250/151 roundabout was bad enough, I can’t imagine what it would be like at the 6/151 intersection with no good route to bypass or avoid the area. I think a wonderful first step could be to ban 18 wheelers from using 151. I truly hope VDOT thinks about this.
Thanks for the update.
Hallelujah! Couldn't happen fast enough. I drive through that intersection every day and always feel like I'm taking my life into my own hands trying to turn left on 151 from Rte 6. People barrel down the hill at >45mph and the visibility is next to zero.