ABOUT THE 501 COALITION

The 501 Coalition is a truly regional group, comprised of representatives from cities, counties, and private industries served by 501. These diverse stakeholders have joined together with one common goal: to make 501 safer.

Much of this aging roadway is sorely unfit to handle the volume of traffic that has emerged in recent years. Along many parts of its hilly, serpentine path, visibility is poor and accidents are all too common.

But through the unified voice of the Coalition, neighboring localities are advocating improvements to 501 that will make travel safer and more convenient for millions of residents and visitors as well as for business and industry.

CLEAR GOALS

Soon after its formation in 1995, the Coalition's members developed a list of 10 areas along 501 most in need of improvement. The Coalition recently re-evaluated and updated the 1995 list and voted on a new list of priority areas. There are now 18 areas along 501 in need of improvement that are considered top priorities to the 501 Coalition. The group works with legislators and state agencies to encourage the completion of these projects.

The fact that these prioritized projects do not favor one locality over another, plus the fact that the group's members come from multiple Department of Transportation districts, makes the Coalition an effective model of regional cooperation. (Our regional consensus not only stretches from Interstate 81 at Lexington to the North Carolina border, but crosses the border extending to the Research Triangle.)

Ultimately, the Coalition promotes expanding 501 to four lanes along its entire length, creating a robust route capable of safely supporting the increased traffic generated by the region's current and future growth.

The U.S. 501 Regional Coalition is truly a regional undertaking, seeking to ensure safe and convenient travel for the more than one million citizens served by this major route. The Coalition stands ready to work with you to "keep Virginia moving" safely and efficiently.