A screenshot from a Route 10 superstreet traffic simulation shows the proposed flow of traffic. (Photo by McCormick Taylor courtesy Chesterfield County)
Street Smart
Work is under way on a road design to improve travel on Route 10 in Chester
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s a “superstreet.” State Route 10 in Chester at Iron Bridge Road and West Hundred Road will become a superstreet, a concept in which it will undergo widening and design changes to reduce conflict points — spots where different traffic movement paths intersect — by restricting left turns, which are frequent causes of crashes. The superstreet will be the first of its kind in Virginia. “We forecast the traffic out there on Route 10 to determine that, based on the traffic volumes and a few different scenarios, that a ‘superstreet’ corridor was really the best option, due to the high volumes that we expected,” says Jesse Smith, deputy county administrator for community development for Chesterfield County. A superstreet is designed to lessen the potential for vehicle collisions and traffic flow problems.
“The essential part of it is that in a conventional intersection, just a regular ‘T’ intersection with a traffic signal, has 32 conflict points [while] a superstreet intersection, or what’s called an archive, has 18 conflict points,” Smith says. The superstreet design lessens potential points of accidents by forcing motorists coming off cross streets to a right turn, then having them flow into a U-turn in the main road median to go in the direction they want to travel. That eliminates left-turn arrow time on the traffic light, allowing for longer green lights and smoother traffic flow, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
Construction will take place in evenings to mitigate potential hassles for the 10,000 commuters who drive Route 10 each day. Construction is already underway and is expected to be completed in 2022.
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Lignum Vitae North America expanded in July with a new 13,000-square-foot facility in Powhatan. (Photo courtesy Lignum Vitae North America)
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The company makes water-lubricated wood bearings for hydroelectric plants. (Photo courtesy Lignum Vitae North America)
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The company also provides products in boat manufacturing and maritime operations such as traditional sailing pulleys. (Photo courtesy Lignum Vitae North America)
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A detail of lignum vitae wood grain (Photo courtesy Lignum Vitae North America)
Into the Wood
A mill that specializes in a unique type of tree expands in Powhatan
Lignum vitae, Latin for “tree of life,” is a tree that produces wood with properties unlike any other. Powhatan’s Bob Shortridge, president of Lignum Vitae North America, has worked with lignum vitae for years and says he’s the only licensed harvester of the tree in the world. Shortridge has recently opened a large mill at Lignum Vitae North America’s 2487 Judes Ferry Road headquarters to process more of the wood that’s used to create seals and bearings that keep ships sturdy and hydroelectric plants running.
Lignum vitae is known to be the densest wood on the planet and is typically used in boat manufacturing and hydroelectric projects. Because of its density, lignum vitae takes much longer to decay and can still have structural integrity after 50 years of use at a hydroelectric plant. It is considered an endangered species, a fact that Shortridge takes to heart, using sustainable harvesting to preserve the trees, which grow in the Caribbean and the north coast of South America. “If this wasn’t a renewable resource, I’d have nothing to do with it,” he says. “In fact, that’s probably the thing that I’m most proud of.”
Photo by Jay Paul
Body Work
A redesign at Bruce’s Super Body Shop will see the business opening a new, larger facility in front of its original shop on Midlothian Turnpike. It’s one of three facilities owned by Bruce Hutchins, and it represents a $5 million investment. “We decided we need to upgrade everything and bring it up to the standards of the other stores,” says Hutchins, who’s been in the car repair business since 1978. The new building, at 11200 Midlothian Turnpike in North Chesterfield, is scheduled to open in December.
Image courtesy Hidden Wit Brewing Co.
The New Brews
Teaming up with brewery entrepreneur and Steam Bell Beer Works founder Brad Cooper, couples Kim and Butch Taylor and Jessica and Chad Ritter are set to open Hidden Wit Brewing Co. in fall 2020 at 2110 Hull Street Road in Moseley. The idea came after Chad Ritter, the former president of James River Homebrewers, served his beer to the Taylors. “It’s kind of a dream for us to go into the brewing business because we love the creativity [and] the atmosphere, because beer makes people happy,” Kim Taylor says. She expects the brewery to have six staple beers and a variety of seasonal brews.
