OUR VIEW: Traffic flow is frustrating for residents

"You can't get there from here."

That old saying is often used to describe a confusing or vexing situation. And it may resonate with motorists trying to navigate the town of Culpeper.

While we know a community pool, a new police station and a new jail are important to some people in Culpeper - and are certainly needed - they don't affect most folks every day. Traffic does. And it's clear to see that people want new roads built now.

It wasn't so very long ago - think circa 2001 - when someone wanting to get from the north side of town to the south side could go straight down Main Street without too much headache.

Now the trip through town is slow and frustrating.
Rapid growth has channeled hundreds of additional vehicles onto town streets, and the rush-hour bottlenecks at major intersections just north of downtown are out of control.

To help rectify this, the town has studied an inner loop road and the county has been considering an outer loop bypass.

The inner loop is now on hold as the town and county work together toward a 2.4-mile outer loop that would connect Sperryville Pike at the Pelham's Reach subdivision north to Route 729.

Construction probably won't start until late 2009, so there's no quick fix.

But here's to the possibility that, perhaps one day in the not-too-distant future, travel through town may once again be an experience that won't raise your blood pressure.