The Richmond Road Meet, Part 2: Into The City

After spending some time visiting the US 360 white-border unisign, we began our journey back east on US 360. Steve replaced Carl in our car.

Here's a video of part of our journey eastbound on US 360. We get an unexpected guest.

We didn't get back on VA 288, instead turning just before it onto South Old Hundred Road to reach VA 76, the Powhite Parkway. Upon turning onto Old Hundred, there was this crosswalk sign with an oddly specific distance.

Getting ready to turn from Old Hundred Road onto Powhite. Old Hundred continues to the left, with a vestigial portion of VA 76 that is clearly marked.

The widening project is being done by Chesterfield County.

VA 76 has one free exit beginning northbound, for VA 288.

VA 76 also has backwards mileposts, starting with 12.2 from Old Hundred. It runs southwest-northeast, so no matter how it would be signed (it's north-south, but Will and I have seen a couple of West-bannered shield southbound over the years) it would be backwards.

At the first toll plaza. It's called the Powhite Parkway Extension because its original south end was at VA 150 and was extended southwest.

White-on-purple, yellow-on-green, black-on-orange, and Clearview. Truly atrocious.

This somewhat unnecessary Toll banner on the VA 76 reassurance shield is just past the toll plaza, so if you see it, you've already paid a toll. There's also a Toll banner on a reassurance shield before VA 288.

ECPI has changed its description a couple times over the years, so greenouts have been necessary.

See? Backwards.

Approaching our exit, Chesterfield secondary route 686, Jahnke Road (the H is silent, so it's pronounced like "Jake" with an N).

Upon departing Powhite, we see this 686 shield with Series B numerals. Might this sign have been made elsewhere in District 4?

VA 150 (Chippenham Parkway) isn't far away; they actually have an interchange nearby.

A bunch of formerly bridge-mounted signs were moved to the ground after one fell.

Behind the VA 150 trailblazer is an old Richmond city limits sign.

To reach the next site of interest, the last RMA (Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which maintains VA 76 in Richmond, VA 146, and VA 195) cutout shield, we headed north on Chippenham, and turned around at the Forest Hill Avenue exit. We stopped briefly to get snacks, then photographed the cutout, which is just past the exit southbound.

We got back on Powhite, where the mileposts now had shields. There's another toll plaza marked in negative contrast Clearview.

Crossing the James.

VA 76 gets ready to approach the 195 twins. It itself is the route to the free I-195, while VA 146 takes you to the tolled VA 195.

VA 146 has two Begin shields right at the split with VA 76.

VA 146 becomes VA 195 at some unmarked point.

The indecipherable shield in this photo is for VA 161. It looked like an oversized version of the infamous Richmond unisigns.

VA 195, now also with mileposts, is the Downtown Expressway.

These overheads look to be second generation signage (probably 1990s), but the unusual 70 cent toll patch is less than 10 years old. The Begin banner on the VA 195 shield in the background is erroneous.

Past here, Doug called me looking for the parking garage I had noted on the itinerary, so I wasn't able to get any photos before we got out. In the next installment, we'll check out some cool sites downtown.

The 2012 Richmond Road Meet, Part 1: Hitting The Road

If you missed the introduction, you can view it here.

We began the tour by dividing into groups, with four people in four cars. The drivers were Elric, Oscar, Doug, and Mike P. I, Will, and initially Carl rode with Elric, and we were the first to leave. I didn't drive due to spatial issues in my car.

The semi-aptly named Old Brick Road, where the Halligan is located. It's certainly brick, but it's only a year or two old.

From the restaurant we headed westbound on West Broad Street, US 250. It quickly meets VA 271, Pouncey Tract Road.

The first meet site was the recently-opened North Gayton Road extension.

Like the John Rolfe Parkway, North Gayton has flashing yellow arrows.

North Gayton ends at VA 271. The road continuing ahead is Shady Grove Road.

Badly done Clearview.

We then took VA 271 south back to Broad and got on the John Rolfe Parkway, but I made a video instead of taking photos, and said video turned out to be awful. Our next destination was the white-border unisign, since we were already well to the west of the city.

A patched overhead on VA 288 for Chesterfield secondary route 668, Woolridge Road. Will notified the correct authorities that the previously displayed route, 3840, was in fact not Woolridge, but a minor side street nowhere near here.

A rare "Third Right" sign for Commonwealth Centre Parkway, part of the US 360 exit. This is what happens when you have unnumbered exits.

We arrived at the unisign at about 3 PM, the first to arrive by several minutes.

Mike P's rented car was also a Focus hatchback.

Everyone took turns photographing the unisign, while others waited. Here, Shawn is taking a picture of the sign.

The cars.

Shawn and Doug upload photos to Instagram while Carl looks on and Steve jokes about it. Shawn's photo was of Doug uploading a photo.

Doug's still uploading, while Steve is doing something else.

I don't really know what's going on here.

Elric's getting into his car while I take a picture of his front license plate.

From here, we headed back east and into the city. Photos from that will be in the next installment.

The 2012 Richmond Road Meet: Introduction & Lunch

Back in June, I had taken a picture of the previously posted white-border US 360 unisign, and the interest in it on Facebook caused me to casually comment "If there's ever a Richmond meet, this would definitely be part of it." That sparked interest from a few roadgeeks, so I began to ponder other potential road meet sites in the Richmond area. Since I had never even attended, let alone hosted, a road meet before, I did a lot of research and, quite frankly, worried a lot. (Looking back, I don't know why.) I consulted Will Weaver, a fellow Richmond-area roadgeek and former resident of the city itself, for ideas, and over the summer the date of October 13 was chosen. I had planned to begin scouting meet sites as early as my first weekend off in August, but I was in a car accident two days before, and getting everything settled from that took about a month. While I had already started work on the itinerary with sites I knew, I was still deciding between downtown and Short Pump as the meeting place and lunch site. I had initially chosen downtown, and Sine Irish Pub (where one could get a Sine Salad), but the restaurant's reviews were mixed, to put it nicely. I and others ultimately agreed that Short Pump worked better logistically as a starting point, and I chose a barbecue restaurant, The Halligan Bar & Grill, for lunch. The itinerary I'd made was a mix of old and new sites across the area: the new North Gayton Road extension, which opened a week prior to the meet; the John Rolfe Parkway, completed earlier in the year; the unisign; a widening project on VA 76 (as well as its backwards mileposts where it becomes a toll road); mileposts and a high-speed toll project on VA 195; old signage and cobblestone pavement downtown; assorted cutouts, state-name interstate shields, and a pair of white-border shields across the city; and the still-under-construction Huguenot Bridge. Will and I did a test run of the original itinerary the week prior and finished it all in a little over three hours, but I quickly learned that things go much less smoothly with 16 people as opposed to two. In addition to Will and myself, the attendees were Jason Ilyes (TN), Billy Riddle (SC), Chris Curley (NC), H.B. Elkins (KY), Mike Tantillo (DC), Oscar Voss (VA), Elric Naslund (LA), Doug Kerr (NY), Steve Alpert (NJ), Laura Bianca (MD), Mike Pruett (MD), Carl Tessier (QC), Scott Davis (NY), Shawn DeCesari (NC), as well as lunch-only attendees Allen Seth Dunn (VA) and Stephanie Ilyes (TN). The lunch reservation was at noon; I got to the restaurant at about 11:40 AM, with Jason, Stephanie, Billy, Chris, Mike T, H.B., and Seth already there. Oscar and Elric arrived not long after I did, and we went inside while the others arrived over the next hour.

Ordering.

The food arrived in waves. Some ate while others waited.

Will and Doug discuss Nova Scotia, where Doug had just visited prior to coming here.

Elric was one of the first to get his food on my side of the table.

The other side of the table.

Will and Laura chat.

The map table, where there were many maps for the taking.

Overall, lunch took about the expected two hours, although there was a delay when my waitress forgot that I paid her. After that was settled, we went outside to group into cars to go visit the sites. In the next installment, we'll take off on the tour.

Road Sign Pictures That I Gone And Done, Summer 2012 Edition

Welcome to another batch of photos that didn't have a home elsewhere. First off, I got a new car to replace the wrecked one. It's another Prelude, this time a 1993 S (base model) with a 5-speed.

Remember this sign? It was still there in June, and it's going to be featured in my Richmond meet next month.

These next few pictures are from Stony Creek in July. A controversial new toll booth is planned for that area, and opposition to it is nearly universal.

At least their street blades are cool.

And some trailblazers. What is up with that US 301 shield on the right?

Now onto Richmond, earlier this month. Here are a pair of VA 6 cutouts.

Older rescue squad sign on Horsepen Road looking north from westbound VA 6.

Westbound VA 6 in the Tuckahoe area.

Now I'm on VA 271, still in Henrico County. Here it turns onto itself. Roadgeeking is harder with a stick shift.

Why is there a begin state maintenance sign here? It's all Henrico! Do they maintain the part of VA 271 south of here or something?

Now in Hanover County, still on VA 271.

Back in Henrico County, on the North Gayton Road extension in Short Pump. It's not open yet.

Finally, southbound VA 288 in Powhatan County. This BGS for secondary route 711 (old VA 44) has the text on the road names too close together.

This fall, I'll have more photos from Richmond.