UPDATE: Two lanes reopen on Shockoe Valley Bridge

There is a common misconception that Virginia State Troopers are only traffic officers. In fact, unlike “highway patrol” officers in some states, Virginia State Troopers have a full-range of law enforcement responsibilities. A very high percentage of their time involves criminal investigations and related court appearances. Traffic enforcement is not their primary responsibility.

That said, the high volume of traffic funneled into the I-64 / I-95 interchange at the Shockoe Valley bridge, the reasonably confusing traffic patterns (at least to out-of-area drivers), and relatively narrow single exit lanes to 5th Street, I-95 South, and I-95 North respectively combine to produce a very hazardous situation in which multiple accidents are highly likely to occur.   

The numbers of State Troopers available and their myriad law enforcement responsibilities make it impossible for them to remove a significant percentage of inattentive, rude, and reckless drivers from the road. They do the best they can in difficult circumstances.  I’ve traveled a great deal up and down the East Coast and in Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ohio - nowhere have I found better trained and more courteous State Police Officers than in Virginia.

Please understand state police has to work accidents,stop vehicles, help disabled vehicles and inforce laws. As far as the comment of the shade of the license plate. It is illegal in VA if the veh is registered in VA. State troopers can’t stop every vehicle. The state police in Richmond cover 21 counties and 4 cities. Just like local agencies state troopers can’t be everywhere all the time. Thanks!

The State Police do what they want to do and IGNORE a lot. My teenage son wants to put a dark shaded plastic cover over his license plate, but I called them and checked and they told me it was illegal. Yet ALL DAY LONG I see these things going up and down the highway. You can’t read most of them. WHERE ARE THE STATE POLICE?? Sometimes driving right by them. My son thinks it’s a joke and I’m starting to feel the same way. TROOPERS: Start enforcing this law PLEASE.

Virginia State Police talk a good game but rarely do they EVER enforce speed limits on the highways in the city. People drive like complete fools and there is rarely a trooper to keep the rest of us safe. Who is to blame for these accidents? Virginia State Police for slack enforcement practices.