W & L Construction will begin paving operations on
Cummings Street (RTE. 75) south of I-81 to the Abingdon Town Limits on Friday
December 7th at 09:00 a.m. You should expect delays if you are
trying to access the Exit 17 area from south of the interstate. Please DO
NOT call 9-1-1 to request police, or emergency services staff, to direct
traffic. The paving companies employ traffic control staff for this
purpose. The police are not experienced with paving operations and will
only slow the paving process. Further, dispatchers are trained to treat
EVERY call as an emergency. Calling 9-1-1 to complain about traffic
being stopped, while a flagger is present, is not an emergency. In
addition, the time that the dispatcher wastes with your call could be better
served with a person who is in an actual emergency. Virginia code 18.2-461
makes it a class 1 Misdemeanor to make such calls.
The Code of Virginia, in 46.2-834, grants flaggers authority
to assume control over traffic flow, and dictates that motorists obey the
signals of flaggers. The code states, “Whenever an authorized flagger
assumes control of vehicular traffic into or through a temporary traffic
control zone using hand-signaling devices or an automated flagger assistance
device, all drivers of vehicles shall obey his signals.”
Please be prepared to stop and obey all signals from
designated flaggers if you choose to enter Abingdon via Rte. 75 during paving
operations. Life is short, don’t let sitting in traffic stress you out.
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