On December 29, a serious auto accident on Route 340 N at Pass Run Road resulted in one individual trapped and airlifted for medical care. That comes just three months after a crash on 340 N near Compton Hollow Road involving five cars that killed two people. On December 23, 2021, a crash at Brown Lane was serious enough for air transport to be on standby. And in the first two weeks of January, there were several accidents along this stretch that caused injury and damage, along with blocked lanes.
We all know that 340 N between Luray and Front Royal is dangerous. When people are going more than 20 miles or more over the speed limit (not unusual),all bets are off as far as being able to safely make a turn onto the road. The traffic is coming so fast that you can’t always see them coming. And anyone who tries to travel at the speed limit is likely to be followed too closely for safety. A double yellow line? No problem. Pass anyway, regardless of oncoming traffic or hills and curves that limit visibility,
Surprisingly, given the dangers (and the revenue potential for the county through law enforcement of speed limits), it is rare to see county or state police.
Why isn’t this road a priority for VDOT and law enforcement?
Why aren’t speed limits reduced in areas that have had recent major accidents and/or fatalities or are accidents waiting to happen? Why aren’t other interventions in place to limit speed, such as traffic lights at intersections with a history of life-threatening accidents?
Safety on this road needs to be a priority — before more people are killed on it.
Cathy Herbert ~ Luray
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I live on Rt.340 just inside town limits of Shenandoah. Apparently, they don’t realize we have a speed limit over here too. If you do see someone pulled over…it’s the State Police. Let’s see we have speeders, passing in no passing zone. So, what do our local police and Sheriff’s do? They don’t do anything about people blaring music and hooting and hollowing pass the noise ordinance time till about 3am or dogs barking all night long when it is so cold out. Instead, they are sitting by car wash talking to one another. So, when is something going to be done?
i travel between Luray and Front Royal often, and agree that it is a dangerous road. i also see a lack of places where an officer could safely pull over a violator.on some of the worst stretches. one of my pet peeves is traffic stops and chases creating unsafe conditions on top of the already bad roads. i dont know if speed cameras would help out here, or just be shotgunned off the pole…might be worth a try,though…
It didn’t used to be this way. In the 60s-80s, there were some accidents, but not the flagrant disregard of law, life and limb like now. What changed? Look at democratic run cities. People in broad daylight dealing drugs, shooting up with government supplied needles, taking a dump on the double yellow line, car jackings, pushing other people onto the subway tracks, shooting teachers and the police, glorifying sex perverts, and these things are just on the local level. Then there’s Washington setting the overall example of crappy behavior which is picked up by the criminals and weaklings leaning towards crime. Politicians break the law-nobody goes to jail. So what do you expect on Route 340? YOU VOTED FOR IT. FOOLS.
So you believe that only Democrats and criminals speed ? I see a lot of middle aged men and women in Mercedes and such burning up the highway. And then there are the cowboys in 8ft high pickups driving 6 inches from your rear bumper and passing in no passing zones. And of course the guys with guns if you do anything to upset them. Road Rage ! Speeding is rampant and uncurbed. Police need to start enforcing speed limits or just eliminate them and let motorists drive at their own peril. Of course local governments do not want to do this by ticketing “respectable citizens.” Nothing causes more disrepect for law then simply ignoring it.
I live in Bentonville, in between Front Royal and Luray and I can testify that the stretch from Bentonville into Front Royal is one of the most dangerous places to drive in Warren County.People speed and drive aggressively,passing on double lines,cutting back in front of people without signal and dangerously.Yet ,no police presence.Guess enough people haven’t been killed yet.
Contact VDOT. If you call them they will look at it. Also comment at the next BOS meeting to ask them to intervene with VDOT.
For those of you who do no know, back in the late 90’s, VDOT was going to widen 340 to 4 lanes. A group formed to stop this and were successful. Check this link:
https://shenandoahalliance.org/project/scenic-340-project-inc/
I do not believe anything can be done now as 340 has been classified as scenic.
Form your own conclusions as to who should be blamed for a highway that could have been safer. Sheriff and State police can only do so much.
What happened in the 90s is irrelevant, especially to people severely injured or the families and friends on people who die needlessly. There are a lot of things that can be done and need to be done right now.
Make jobs worth having closer to home. Then there wouldn’t be so many headed that way in the first place. And people drive with some sense. The job will be there when you get there.
Is it possible for people to just behave themselves?
It is really strange that this section of road is not four lanes. That is two each way. There are other roads not near as busy as this one and are four lanes.