Winchester

[ky72x 13]

Welcome to Page 15!

Too bad for the Winchester Mall... I remember the update where that bookstore had just opened, which was a glimmer of hope for the mall. But the closing of it was pretty imminent after both of the remaining anchor stores closed/left. I don't think that mall could've survived with a total of only 11 stores. Oh well, guess this means we'll see something new there in the future! Nice underwater tunnel, that's pretty funny with the water from fire truck's hose shooting out from it!

- Kyle

[edmonton_stinks 5]

That's terrible for the Winchester Mall. If it's a vote, I vote mixed-use development. The first mall failed, I don't know why the next one would do any better. Maybe Target could open a store in the new development.

Thanks for the gift card! I didn't realized I posted that much here.

[Mother of Invention 23]

Out of Character: Very nice updates, Look forward to more

Oh and those underwater firetrucks will come in handy for Oil Spill fire's.

In Character:  To Whom it may concern at the Massopex Zoning commision(sp?)

We here at Zappa international Properties are interested in buy some land where the WInchester Mall used to be. We are interested in putting a few of our Businesses there that we own, as we think these buisness may be a viable endeavour.

We would like to purchase the car dealership and replace it with a PG Market (Hableurg's Farmacia Guadalajara) and also build a Llama auto parts store where the Food lion used to be (search for Llama Auto Parts on the Stex)

If you are interested in this deal please let us know.

[Equilibria 16]

I've tried the underwater tunnel thing, and I could never get it to work. Then again, I was building in the middle of a huge developed city. It's funny to see the SG mall, which is meant to look so healthy, be cut down like this...

[kj3400 178]

So Winchester Mall is closing, huh? Well it was a good run. I think... But it just couldn't compete with Wanata View; a very good mall, by the way. Are we going there soon? i can't wait to spend my gift card. That's a very interesting proposed interchange. What exactly would that look like?

Oh and great three updates.

[dfnva 34]

Bruce (Schulmanator)

What you describe sounds typical of suburban sprawl as people move further and further out of town and as such the icons of the closer-in suburbs close up shop. Glad you liked the fire truck, I found it kind of funny how it appears as it, supposedly, tunnels underwater.

Mapmaker89

Thanks, glad you liked the updates. Winchester Mall did have a good run, for about 30 years. And if you like the road signs, have no fear, plenty more to come!

Packersfan

Thanks, I hope to make some more of them. These are very common in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia so that all the naval ships can pass. The bridges are so low that it almost feels like you're driving on the water. 

Benedict

Thanks, glad you liked the updates!

Kyle (Ky72x)

Ironically, the bookstore (The Black Market) thrived in the Winchester Mall location, but now has moved to another shopping center. It's surprising how few stores a mall can survive on. Cloverleaf Mall in Richmond, VA, survived for years on about 11 stores after all the anchor stores closed. I think it's been torn down, though. 

Edmonton_Stinks

The Winchester city council is working with a developer to build a mixed-use development with some apartments/condos and office buildings. The retail market is becoming oversaturated.

Mother of Invention

Ha! I sure hope there won't be any oil spill fires. The Governor of Massopax, Thomas Hankerhoff, is adamently against off-shore drilling as well to prevent such calamaty. I appreciate the suggestions for building on the former Winchester Mall property, but I graciously decline as there is currently too much retail in the area, in addition to a lot of empty retail space. 

Equilibria

I'll bet it would be hard to build a tunnel in a developed city as you would have to do a lot of bulldozing and such. While you're right about the Simgoober mall, it actually looks like an older mall while the Wanata View Galleria (I forget it's name on the STEX) looks much more modern.

KJ3400

Thanks, and glad you liked the updates. And since you asked what the Kings Hwy / Backlick Rd interchange would look like, this is a perfect segue for today's update....

Today we're going to watch the construction of the interchange where US-27 Business/Kings Hwy crosses SR-617/Backlick Rd.

As you can see in this first picture, the demolition of Winchester Mall has ameliorated the situation. In fact, the only vestige of the mall is the office building, still standing in a sea of rubble and dirt. When all is said and done, Kings Hwy will go under Backlick Rd. In order to facilitate this, Backlick Rd is temporarily discontinuous.

Temporary signs and wire span signals attached to wooden poles have been placed here. This is the scene along southbound Kings Hwy.

Now that the Backlick Rd bridge has been completed, work on the ramps continues.

Now with the ramps completed, Kings Hwy is realigned to go under the bridge. Once this area is redeveloped it will definitely look spiffy, but for the meantime, this new interchange will help traffic and accident issues at this very busy junction.

Here's the traffic signal on Backlick Rd Eastbound to turn onto the ramp for Kings Hwy northbound. Quite spiffy is the solar collector on the pole powering the signals. But see if you can identify any errors in the signage??

Thanks for visiting, I think we'll start to go for a new drive sometime soon. I'm thinking of starting in the northeast corner of Piedmont County on MP-165 and go diagonally across to end in the southwestern portion of the county. 

-Dan

[penguin007 27]

Nice updgrading of the road network in that area I cant wait to see some of the development around there

Will

[jacqulina 162]

great looking transport system my friend,excellent work and pics.

[djf3591 1]

shouldn't the sign say "Business 27"?

Nice Job!

[ky72x 13]

That sure is a lot of space the Winchester Mall left behind. It's nice to see that they used the land for something that was greatly needed. I liked how you used those dirt trails to represent the roads under construction, as well as the equipment lots. Very good job on the signage for this update! As far as errors go, first I have to ask if north is up, if east is right, etc. in these shots, or if it is the other way around. If it's the first way, then the traffic light has an extra signal facing the wrong way on the short pole. I hope that wasn't too confusing... But yeah, that solar panel on the signal is indeed quite spiffy. They are starting to pop up a lot now, even on stop signs.

- Kyle

[Equilibria 16]

So... you can't go south on 27 anymore? Is anyone upset?

I vote that the redevelopment here include some mass transit, not just more road-based stuff. Then again, this isn't exactly the place for that, is it?

[edmonton_stinks 5]

I suppose the retail market must be oversaturated, if Winchester Mall could fail while tons of new retail centers are being constructed.

Good update, the mixed use development should look great! Much better than an abandoend warehouse of a mall would, at any rate.

[Schulmanator 5,787]

They are making excellent progress on the redevelopment. I wish real DOTs would be so responsive.

[dfnva 34]

Will (Penguin007)

Thanks, you'll see some of what is being developed today. 

Jacqulina

Thanks! Glad you liked the update.

DJF3591

Way to go and good observance. Recently the Virginia DOT made an analogous mistake on a new sign for VA-234 Business, just they left out the 'business' part.

Kyle (KY72x)

Thanks. Usually when I drive through road construction, I see a dirt path of where a new road will go so I figured the dirt paths would show that well. I should've been more specific, but up is south, so the signal lights on the smaller pedistal are fine. The word "business" is missing from the US-27 sign. Hope to see an update from the Auburn Valley soon.

Equilibria

Yes, there is access to US-27 Business south, it's just that you'll have to go through the development (which we will see below) to get there. The ramp on to US-27 Business North merges onto the road in the next city tile (I ran out of room). As for mass transit, it would make sense. I definitely plan on working a lot on a comprehensive mass transit system for Tidewater. 

Edmonton_Stinks

It's funny how often abandoned malls sit for years, creepily shadowing the landscape. As for oversaturated retail markets, it's interesting how there's plenty of empty space, but folks would rather build 'new and better' shopping centers in real life. 

Bruce (Schulmanator)

I wish real DOT's could make a difference as well. I'm in the process of trying to get a traffic signal built near where I live, but VDOT is dragging their feet. 

==================

And now it's time for an update on the redevelopment of Winchester Mall, dubbed "Uptown Village":

Further east on SR-617/Backlick Rd, are a number of vacant retail spaces, despite the enormous amount of traffic that passes by each day. It's a mixture of over-saturation and demographics.

Sadly, some of the vacant stores have been favorable to increased gang activity.

Some stores along Backlick Rd, like this Super S-Mart, remain venerable. With the recent demolition of the Food Lion on Kings Hwy, this is the closest grocery store in the Uptown Winchester area, without driving for miles to the east on Backlick Rd or to the north on Kings Hwy. The Super S-Mart is analogous to a Super Walmart. And if you've seen "Army of Darkness," you'd better know that you "Shop Smart, Shop S-Mart!!"

Despite some of the questionable residential areas lurking behind, this Toys 'R Us opened in the last few years and has remained successful despite numerous robberies.

Closer to the Backlick Rd's junction with I-79, there are a lot of office buildings and hotels.

Nonetheless, the hope is that the new residential/office development, Uptown Village, will breathe new life into this area preventing further decline.

And yes, I photoshopped the logos, and lack thereof, on the buildings.

Next time, we'll start driving anew and check out the town of Blue Springs along MP-165/Deltown Rd.

Thanks for visiting.

-Dan

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Interesting. And, here, some vacant big boxes have been adapted for self storage buildings. Only the start of a solution but at least not a dead storefront anymore.

[edmonton_stinks 5]

Good retail showcase! I had no idea Uptown Winchester had fallen on such hard times.

The area behind the Toys 'R' Us doesn't look that questionable, I guess it's more of a land value than a nice house/not nice house thing.

[packersfan 666]

Great update, I love the redevelopment...definitely something I would like to do in the future, hopefully gracefully and with pictures chronicling it like you did,

[jacqulina 162]

excellent commercial there my friend,very nice pics and work.great close up shots.

[mapmaker89 1]

Yay! More road signs! I can't wait. And the new drive that you're talking about sounds fun, too. Are there still towns that we haven't seen yet?

I also love the new look of The Area Formerly Known As Winchester Mall. I hope those new buildings will survive longer than the mall did.

As always, looking forward to the next update.

-map

[ky72x 13]

Regarding AV, look forward for an update very, very soon.

Back to the main story, Uptown Village looks fantastic. Nice pair of those ill_tonkso offices to complement the existing one. It's a very smart move, because the area is obviously in need of some serious change. I've seen some similar developments in the planning stages meant for the same exact purposes. Speaking of 'smart,' nice logos on the grocer, as well as the removal of them on the vacant stores.

- Kyle

[penguin007 27]

Nice update there I like the development. Your suburbia is very good with little centres in them

Will

[djf3591 1]

woot! The area very vaguely reminds me of Long Island's Sunrise Highway (NY 27, hmm..., coincidence) where residential side streets practically serve as the ramps between the overpassing roads and the highway's service roads. I like the area, nice work. Can't wait for the road trip.

[Benedict 3,119]

Great new development. And thanks for showing some of the steps in construction, including the diversion.

[SCDawg 0]

Very Nice Dan. I like the new interchange and developement, very realistic as always. Can't wait to start the new drive.

Keep It Up!

Travis

[dfnva 34]

Bruce (Schulmanator)

That sounds like a unique way of solving the problem of vacant buildings. All along the US-1 corridor in Northern Virginia from roughly Woodbridge to just south of Alexandria, there is a problem with lots of commercial vacancy. There have been proposals for redevelopment for years, but nothing has really happened yet.

Edmonton_Stinks

Well, the problem with uptown Winchester is that back in the 1960s and 1970s when much of this retail area was new, it was the place for people to do their shopping. But as the region has expanded there are more shopping choices and people have also moved further out. As for the questionable residential areas, the screenshot didn't show it too well, but there are some lower wealth apartments where crime is a problem, and of course that spills over into the nearby shopping areas. 

Packersfan

Thanks, glad you liked the redevelopment and presentation. It definitely is an improvement over a mostly-vacant mall. 

Jacqulina

Thanks, glad you liked the close-up shots. It was fun to do the photoshopping of the logos, or lack thereof.

Mapmaker89

Thanks, glad you liked the update. There are plenty of towns we have not visited in the region, in fact today, we'll visit one, Blue Springs, and yes there will be plenty of road signs!

Kyle (Ky72x)

Glad to hear there will be an update from you soon. Thanks, and glad you like the choice of buildings for the Uptown Village. It's kind of fun photoshopping those stores to get rid of logos/put on new ones. While I love using the BAT's I have in my region, I often use them to represent local/made-up chain stores. Every time I plop the big Kroger, for instance, it is made to represent a S-Mart. 

Will (Penguin007)

Thanks. Making suburban areas is one of my favorite things to do with SC4.

DJF3591

There's a similar set up to this in Springfield, VA, where Real-life SR-617/Backlick Rd (LOL, yes I plagiarized that road name) and SR-644/Old Keene Mill Rd used to cross at grade, but since the later 1980s, SR-617 has merged onto Keene Mill Rd on both sides and to access the opposite sides, one has to go on Amherst Ave which has a bridge over SR-644. On the first look, it's rather convoluted, but it keeps traffic flowing better, eliminating the traffic signal at SR-617 and SR-644.

Benedict

Thanks. I always found it interesting seeing the detours and gradual changes during road construction, so I thought I would show that evolutionary process as the interchange was built.

SCDawg

Thanks. Hopefully a new development like this will go up where Cloverleaf Mall is currently standing (unless it was finally torn down) on Midlothian Turnpike. 

And now....

Yes! We are back on the road for a brand-spanking-new drive across Piedmont County. We're going to start today in the north-east corner of the county and go southwest, through Winchester, to end in the southwestern part of the county and visit towns and points of interest along the way as always.

And thus we begin our travels, westward along MP-165/Deltown Rd. Since all of Piedmont County's borders aren't perfect square, we're in a stub of Leesylvania County.

Upon crossing the Blue Springs Creek, we cross into Piedmont County.

As is customary upon entering a new county, there's a mileage sign and reassurance marker. Notice that this portion of MP-165 was designated a Scenic Byway.

And more signs in advance of the next intersection...

And here is the intersection with SR-675/Olsen Ridge Rd. SR-671, which we used to access Adventure World, ends at SR-675 not far from here.

Continuing on, we pass a pair of fairly minor intersections with SR-606 and SR-695.

Usually, insignificant intersections post the route numbers on little white signs such as these for the two intersections depicted above instead of shields.

As seen by this signage, SR-695, has a short multiplex with MP-165.

Here, SR-695 diverges as we pass more farms.

There's no doubt why this is a scenic byway.

And now we're entering the village of Blue Springs.

Here we pass the major intersection in the middle of town with SR-663. There's not much here in downtown other than some small shops though of note is the Waffle Hut, which is the major meeting place in downtown where people catch up on what's going on here. The Waffle Hut has been here since 1950 and boasts many awards for their secret-recipe broasted chicken. Blue Springs Elementary School, built in 1925, is one of the oldest elementary schools still standing and in use in the county. 

Here is the signage at the SR-663 JCT.

And as fast as that, we're out in the country again.

Here's one more zoomed-out shot to see where we were today in context. Click on the pic to see the full-size version.

Thanks for visiting and hope you enjoyed the ride. Next time, we'll continue further southwest toward Deltown, though not sure if we'll quite make it there yet.

-Dan

[Haljackey 17,306]

Wow! Excellent use of the NAM road curves! They look perfect where they are!

[penguin007 27]

grrrrr!!! more FAR I want it so bad!!! Another awesome update again this time more rural. I like the overview its an aspect I havnt seen much of in this cj and I'd love to see more of that

Will

[Schulmanator 5,787]

I am liking these curves... liking A LOT!

A fine suburban and rural landscape for us to survey in this update.

[Equilibria 16]

Finally we roadgeeks have the tools to make more realistic curves. Next up: banking. Nice update (or updates, since I didn't comment on the last one).

[SCDawg 0]

Like everyone else has said, great use of the NAM curves and FAR. MP-165 looks very much like US-522 in Louisa, Goochland, and Powhatan counties. It also reminds me of US-60 west of Richmond (a long way west of Richmond).

I'm not sure if Cloverleaf Mall is still standing, I haven't been through that area in a while.

Keep It Up!

Travis