Route 151 Traffic Back To Normal After A Long Day In The Cold Wind : 2.10.10

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Photos Courtesy of Ray Uttaro : ©2010 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Hunderds of turkeys were scattered along the shoulder of Route 151 Wednesday when a semi rig hauling them jackknifed just north of Bland Wade Road. Click photos to enlarge.
Photos Courtesy of Ray Uttaro : ©2010 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Hunderds of turkeys were scattered along the shoulder of Route 151 Wednesday when a semi rig hauling them jackknifed just north of Bland Wade Road. Click photos to enlarge.

Afton
Nelson County, Virginia

As NCL was the first to tell you, Route 151 just north of Bland Wade Road was down to one lane for a big part of Wednesday. For the second time in less than two months a semi tractor trailer rig used for hauling turkeys and chickens wrecked in almost exactly the same location.

The semi operated by Circle S Ranch in Monroe, N.C jackknifed across across Route 151 Wednesday. Hundreds of turkeys were thrown off the trailer during the wreck with many injured or killed.
The semi operated by Circle S Ranch in Monroe, N.C jackknifed across across Route 151 Wednesday. Hundreds of turkeys were thrown off the trailer during the wreck with many injured or killed.

On December 19th of 2009, another tractor trailer used for hauling poultry and using Route 151 as a cut through between I-64 and US 29 jackknifed in almost the same location blocking the road and stranding over 400 drivers on their way home in a snow storm and sub freezing temps. Cars were backed all the way up to Rockfish Gap at one point that night while crews worked to clear the road. Drivers finally were able to make it home shortly after midnight.

Turkeys in their cages along Route 151 and other sit on top while crews worked to clear the highway.
Turkeys in their cages along Route 151 and other sit on top while crews worked to clear the highway.

According Nelson Emergency Service Coordinator, Ray Uttaro, the driver hit an area of black ice and lost control. At the time of the accident, interstates and local roads in Nelson were in very hazardous condition.

The road was completely reopened for normal traffic around 3PM Wednesday afternoon.

14 COMMENTS

  1. LET’S GET THESE TURKEY TRUCKS OFF THIS ROAD!

    I see them speeding up and down 151 virtually EVERY DAY!

    One of them zipped by me so fast one time that my vehicle was momentarily suspended.

    Of course by the time the police would catch up with them they’d be back on 29 or 64 already

    And this “Circle S” company isn’t even based in Virginia??!!

    I think it is time to revive Project 151 before we have another tragedy!!!

    Traffic back-up is bad enough but relatively minor compared to what could happen.

  2. This vehicle wasn’t speeding. It was a very low speed jackknife. The backup that it came upon suddenly was caused by several car drivers further up the road at morningside farm that had run off the road and were being removed by Afton Service Center. The road was blocked by Virginia State Police while this was occurring. The backup and quarter inch of black ice is the culprit on this one Im afraid.

  3. Nonetheless – ‘hunter’ – my vehicle was almost run off the road recently by one of these behemoths who SHOULD NOT BE ON OUR ROADS IN THE FIRST PLACE – ALONG WITH A LOT OF OTHER TRUCKS OF THAT SIZE!

    What I know is what I see from them EVERYDAY!

    Apparently this one had just slowed down because of the ice and still jacknifed

    And this is the second incident within a month

    Let’s not wait until it gets worse ….

  4. Your right Janet, Cars wreck going up to Wintergreen all the time. If we banned them and any other traffic on Rt. 151 it would be positively fantastic. Let’s NOT wait till it gets worse.

    So anyone have any logically thought out comments.?

  5. … OR DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS THAT ARE REASONABLE?!

    Is that the best argument that you have, Hunter?!

    You have to draw the line somewhere and trucks that are too big for a small, one lane country road with virtually no shoulders are the place to do it!

    These trucks belong on multiple lane highways – like 64 and 29 – that are designed to handle that kind of traffic – PERIOD!

  6. Janet I have argued this point for years and others way before me. Incorrectly, many drivers think we want to ban trucking. BS. We want to ban cut through trucks that have no commerce or contribute nothing to this county as they pass through. This would not affect local operations, deliveries, logging, dump or gravel operations. etc. As you have correctly 100% stated, 151 was never designed to be doing what it is today. The 500 + semi rigs that transit 151 daily create an impediment to the normal ebb and flow of passenger car traffic. It is bad enough in good weather, it is insane for any semi to navigate off of I-64, down 250 Afton Mountain, and 151 during a snow or ice storm. The results are predictable. We have seen it twice in the past 45 days. I have been on hazardous materials spills many times as both a cop and emergency management director in the past. Yes they do travel 151 in droves. Most drivers do a great job, but when, and it will happen, a hazardous material spill occurs, it will be a huge mess. Or if a propane or gasoline tanker crashes, you can do the math. Simply put, cut through truck should be restricted on 151 and only local deliveries and those doing local business here should be allowed.

  7. Thank you, Tommy! My point exactly only much better put. a voice of reason

    I was especially ticked when I found out that this Circle S company is from NC.

    I had always thought that they came from around Lynchburg or similar – defintiely Virginia

    Banning trucks on altogether would be as ridiculous as banning cars …

  8. All I’m saying is that this wreck had nothing to do with the vehicle being a truck on Rt. 151. We can all scream to the heavens look at what happened here with this truck, but it isn’t really going to do any good if we yell out our outrage on a day when just prior to this the Virginia State Police was pulling 5 cars out of a ditch less then a mile further up the road. These things happen. The truck wasn’t speeding. I know some trucks do. This just is not the best example of what you guys are talking about with problem trucks.

  9. Actually Hunter it has everything to do with a semi truck being on Route 151. That’s the point exactly. As previously stated, Route 151 was never designed to be a semi tractor trailer route that it’s become today. 500+ rigs cutting through. It’s why interstates and US 4 lane highways are designed with restricted access (via on and off exit ramps), wide shoulders, emergency pull off lanes, etc. Had this semi taken the I-64 to the 29 Exit then gone south, odds are they wouldn’t have lost control in almost exactly the same spot as the December accident that blocked the road for over 5 hours stranding over 400 motorists because this driver made the (poor) decision to leave the interstate and cut through all in the name of saving time and mileage. How much time was saved that night? Not that an accident can’t occur on the interstate and U.S. 4 and two lane roads made for his type of traffic, but the likelihood is much less, and if it does happen there’s adequate shoulder, etc for emergency and tow crews to work.

  10. About 2 hours ago I watched a tractor trailer pass a car at the crest of the hill between Sunrise Drive and Smalls Grocery Exxon. This is a double solid line! Our property values are being damaged by the 24/7 noise and caos created by companies trying to save a few minutes of driving by leaving a highway that is well made for large OTR trucks. I’m glad that turkey truck didn’t hit the home on that curve. If he was driving on 29 and 64 he would not have wrecked and he certainly would not have wrecked in someone’s front lawn.

  11. I have never seen a bunch of people make such a stink over a road that is very good and passable for big trucks trying to get to 64/81. I am very sorry for any tragedy that has occured on that road ,but you can’t hold every driver of a big truck responsible.The only reason that VDOT put a 65 foot restriction on that road is because of all of the pressure that the citizens have put on the board of supervisors in nelson county and inturn to get the pressure off of them they contacted VDOT.I would like to see the study that VDOT did on that road and find out what their findings were for a restriction .I have been on many roads alot worse than that ,and if there are problem spots on that road VDOT needs to fix them.The problem of that road is that you have four wheelers that don’t use their signals or put them on 10 feet before they want make a turn and have to stop in the road then to turn.Or lets see what else.They are in a hurry and a big truck is holding them up so they pass it going 65 miles per hour.Seems to me that there must be some high class people living over there that want and get every thing their way .You people over there don’t want any inconvience for yourselves but you want to make it that way for a driver that has a business to run and a family to support .Everything that you have at your house or store that you go to on 151 was brought by a truck.I bet if you needed something for yourselves to benifit you ,it would be OK for any truck 100 foot long 100,000 pounds to travel rt 6/151 to bring it to you.

  12. That’s the very attitude William that has created the animosity toward some truckers using Route 151. You are right many of these drivers are very responsible and use good judgment. But many are not. And the idea that 151 is a safe road for 100 foot length rigs carrying 100K loads is ridiculous. And again as usual, four wheelers are blamed as the problem. While some passenger cars drivers may be guilty of that, far more semi trucks illegally transit Route 151, a road never designed to be doing what it’s doing today.

    And that doesn’t even begin addressing the destruction to the scenic beauty of the Rockfish Valley heaped on by loud trucks with little disregard to people living or visiting Nelson County, Virginia. Interstates and four lane highways with wide shoulders were made to accommodate big rigs, not a rural two lane highway meandering through the Blue Ridge Mountain valley.

    You are right truckers provide an invaluable resource of transportation in this country, but that also comes with a duty to respect natural areas that were once quiet. Many states and the feds have already totally banned trucks along such scenic byways like the one running thorough Nelson County for this very reason. As truck traffic continues to grow along Route 151 look for more environmental resistance and more eventual restrictions coming.

  13. I used the 100 foot long and 100,000 pounds as a ridiculous example.I am sorry about how my comment was read and I didn’t mean to offend anyone in anyway whatsoever.The reason this 151 issue bothers me so much is because I am trucker/farmer and ex-logger from Amherst that uses the rt. 6/151 road to get to 81 north.We go through there because it is shorter and in my opinion it is a good road.We always cut our lights on for better visibility and wacth a couple of bad spots along the road. (a couple miles off rt 29 at the 800 ft bus stop on rt 6 and I think it is rt 706 in a curve on rt 151) If the road has a 65 ft. restriction , I want to know what curve is so bad that the vechicle would travel over in the other lane.My issue is that every time something happens on that road it seems like all you hear about is a truck.Then the citizens complain to the sheriffs dept. then they are out pulling over trucks and measuring the lengths so nelson county can issue about a 300 dollar ticket.It just makes it bad for the ones who are trying to do right

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