COLLEGIATETIMES
july 10, 2008
Blacksburg and Tech team up to make more efficient intersections GABRIEL MCVEY
ct news reporter Local planners have proposed a set of new traffic upgrades throughout the town to alleviate congestion and offset projected buildups at existing choke points. Blacksburg’s Various Intersections Project will affect eight intersections across town with upgrades including new turning lanes, new traffic and pedestrian signals, pedestrian islands and signal light changes to improve traffic flow. A separate project will have two proposed roundabouts to replace conventional signal-light intersections at high traffic areas in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors has also approved plans for a 1,200-space parking garage to expand campus parking. The Various Intersections Project is a joint bid between the town and Tech. The project will cost $4.4 million — $1.4 million coming from Tech — and will run through August 2009, affecting six intersections adjacent to campus and two off campus. The work will not close any intersections and traffic will be slowed but not stopped at the work sites, said Urban Transportation Manager Brandon Steele. Virginia Tech Transportation Director Steve Mouras said a 2003 Virginia Department of Transportation study shows that none of the intersections scheduled for construction would be sufficient to handle the traffic flow by 2023 if they are not expanded. Major work will change the Prices Fork Road/ West Campus Drive intersection. Going east on Prices Fork toward town, the right turning lane onto campus will be extended and will become a “hot right” – meaning that it will not stop for traffic signals. A new left-turn-only lane will be added to the northbound lanes, leaving campus, of West
MATT BOONE/SPPS
The intersection at North Main Street and Prices Fork Road will be receiving a roundabout, with construction starting next year. In 2002, a traffic circle was introduced at the corner of Draper Road and Clay Street with little success. It was removed two months later. Campus Drive. New traffic and pedestrian signals will also be added. The commuter lot access road will get a new, dedicated right-turn lane for cars turning right out of the lot onto West Campus Drive. The West Campus Drive/Perry Street intersec-
tion will receive new traffic signals, crosswalks and pedestrian signals. The Prices Fork Road/Stanger Street intersection will receive new turning lanes and a pedestrian island. The Stanger Street/Perry Street intersection will receive new turning lanes as well.
News.............2 Features ........4 0pinions........5 Sports ...........8 Classifieds ...11 Sudoku........11 105th year issue 66 blacksburg, va.
see TRAFFIC, page three
Class of 2012 is Fleet Services going green learning the ropes JOHNNY KILROY
what’s inside
U.K.-style roundabouts are proposed to replace the conventional intersections of Givens Lane, Progress Street and Aden Lane in one area and North Main Street and Prices Fork Road in another.
ct staff writer
BERNADETTE WHITE
ct news editor The freshman class of 2012 has descended upon Virginia Tech this week. Orientation sessions will run from July 7 through July 25. Each orientation session lasts two days and is filled with programs for students and their families to become acquainted to life at Tech. According to the orientation
guide, orientation is “the first stepping stone in the transition from high school to Virginia Tech.” Duing the orientation session, students have the opportunity to take tours of campus, get their Hokie Passport and learn a little bit about life at Tech. Sessions include information about student activities, career services and financial aid counseling.
see ORIENTATION, page three
Amidst summer gas prices that have surpassed $4 per gallon, Virginia Tech Fleet Services has added four new hybrid vehicles to its inventory. This inclusion is a step toward a gas-electric hybrid platform that is expected to enhance the fuel efficiency of the entire fleet. The Green Fleet Initiative is Fleet Services’ effort to make the Tech fleet not only more fuel efficient, but also more environmentally friendly. It involves new vehicles, new parts and
new disposal practices. This is in accordance with the university’s desire to make the whole campus more environmentally sustainable. The new Chevy Malibu cars will be joining one hybrid vehicle that has already had nearly two years’ tenure as a test model in the Tech Fleet. The Ford Hybrid Escape has accomplished its mission, achieving an average of
The Green Fleet Initiative is Fleet Services’ effort to make the Tech fleet more fuel efficient and more evironmentally friendly.
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10.3 miles per gallon more than the gasoline-only model. Last week, Fleet Services invited faculty and staff to test-drive the new vehicles. They were met with enthusiasm. “They all seemed to like them,” said Gene Reed, Director of Fleet Services. “Most of them were not familiar with their operation, so we had to show them that.” Many hybrid vehicles will run solely on their electric power at very low speeds, before the gas engine kicks on. In this electric mode, operators describe the cars as nearly silent.
see FLEET, page two