The dangerous dump truck traffic on Catharpin Road traveling to and from the Smith landfill operation presents an ongoing threat to the safety of every driver who has to use this roadway. All are encouraged to join the Gainesville Citizens for Safe Roads and speak out to Stop the Dump Trucks.
The accident that occurred on May 30, where a dump truck crossed the center line and forced a passenger vehicle off the road resulting in a following passenger vehicle colliding with and literally totaling the lead passenger vehicle. Predictably, the dump truck driver who caused the accident failed to stop and fled the area. A witness in a car following the dump truck reported the incident to the police and an investigation is ongoing.
Just a few days earlier, a dump truck traveling north on Catharpin, just 1/4 mile from Bull Run Middle School and across from the Red Fence Farm, ran off the road and its weight caused the truck to sink to its axle. It took nearly two hours to pull the truck out of its self-created ditch, and traffic was blocked traveling both ways by emergency vehicles and tow trucks called to the scene. The damage to the shoulder remains more than 10 days later and in itself constitutes an ongoing safety hazard.
You can help to Stop the Dump Truck Traffic on Catharpin Road. First, sign up as a "Follower" on the button just to the right of this post. Then, be certain to click on the "Follow By Email" button and enter your email address. That way you can stay up to date with every new post.
Then, send the link to this blog to all of your friends and ask them to join as a follower. We need as many people as we can joining our fight to Stop the Dump Trucks on Catharpin Road!
http://stopthedumptrucks.blogspot.com/
The Traffic is not only on Catharpin Rd. they are also using Artemus Rd as well. A new drive way has been put in Between the Smith's and Rettman's house on Artemus Rd. so trucks can exit the dump.
ReplyDeleteThe other issue what is not being addressed is what is being dumped and the ground water safty issue. No one KNOWS what is being dumped on this property or how much has been dumped. I know that is not just clean fill dirt it is rocks, asphalt and road waste, Aminal remains.
The Smith's(Bradley) has stated that he can do anything with a good lawyer. That's why he keeps changing what he is doing under the "Smith Family Farm" Creating more flat land for grazing to a fish farm when really it is a DUMP!(TO MAKE MONEY FOR HIS POCKETS)
Someone who lives in a community or other home site off Catharpin is going to get seriously injured. Considering all the property taxes paid by these PW county homeowners, we should be entitled to a safe road on which to commute.
ReplyDeleteThe lane width on Catharpin is not wide enough for the traffic of dump trucks....they take up the entire width of the lane....and that is why they go over the lines.....I can't believe that VDOT would allow large trucks to even travel on this road....Artemus Road is wider than Catharpin....maybe we should have shoulders and drains put in along Catharpin to make is safer....I have lived here 2 years and the dump trucks have not stopped...and probably never will, we need to make Catharpin wider....before someone gets killed....maybe have more police just hang out there....and give tickets...for now....
ReplyDeleteYou are out of your mind. Artemus Road is NOT wider than Catharpin. And geez.. you seem to have no problem with SCHOOL BUSSES on this road- twice a day. Day in and day out. How many times have I ever been almost run over by one of them? Plenty
DeleteVDOT said the road was fine before, but it is breaking up infront of the construction entrance to the Smith Farm on Catharpin....we need to have VDOT come out and patch this immediately getting worse every day!!!
ReplyDeletecatharpinkids on twitter:
ReplyDeleteRyan Homes Wentworth Green shipping scrap soil 2 illegal Smith Farm dump across from BRMS on Catharpin Rd. Huge dirt pile next 2 Cat Creek.
Help spread the word and stop this dirt at the sources!
I too want to know exactly what is being dumped here. Clearly the guy is up to something -- he put in cameras and warning signs to stay out. For those of us in Oak Valley last summer when he burned "brush" as we were choking in our homes -- we know full well it was not brush just by the smell of it. HAS THE COUNTY BEEN ON THE PROPERTY AND INSPECTED WHAT IS BEING DUMPED???
ReplyDeleteAs a mother of 4 children, it frightens me everyday to drive on Catharpin Road. These truck drivers are careless, and frankly don't care how they drive. They have no respect for the other drivers on this road. As for the Smith family, they are only looking out for themselves, period! Something needs to be done before someone is killed on our roads!
ReplyDeleteI had a miscarriage right after that burn went on and I often wonder if that had anything to do with it. I am completely at wits end with that so-called farm. I have often thought about calling a news source and literally standing in the driveway of the truck entrance to not allow trucks in. What is it going to take to get this stopped... someone getting killed? And what is an illegal dump that is probably toxifying the soil going to do to property values?
ReplyDeleteThey are not really just trying to get by. Andrew Smith, Brads Dad. Had close to a million dolsars when he died, but did not allow his wife to have it in his will, due to the fact that he knew she would not be fair in distributing it to her 5 other kids. Brad and his wife moved in and have tried to cut the mother off from the rest of the family so they can take the farm. So He is not the nice honorable farmer you think he is. They have had family members who needed a place to live kicked out of their home so him and his wife could have a free place to live, gotten in fights with many of the family who stand up to him, and even refused to pay someone for a summers worth of work helping them sell his meat. He has a long history of dishonesty and manipulation so I have no reason to believe he suddenly has become such a great person. Also his excuse of leveling the land is bull. That farm has been fine for over 50 years without needing it and they have never had a problem growing hay on it.
DeleteI witnessed a Merchant Tire truck coming out of the landfill.. It's obvious he's allowing them to dump tires. What else could they be dumping?This is such a nuisance!
ReplyDeleteSince everyone who needs to know about this knows, and nothing is being done, I suspect Smith has naked pictures of someone important! A despicable "citizen" !
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ReplyDeleteWe have got to fight back now and stop this insanity. Let's organize a rally and get the media involved.
ReplyDeleteCan't we do something by going to all those Farmers Markets where he sells his beef? Do you think if people knew he had a landfill on his property they'd still buy his meat and other products. Look up Smith Family Farm on Facebook. They definitely never address this dirty operation.
ReplyDeleteAll of these trucks are coming from somewhere...if the County and State are hesitant to close the illegal dump, why don't we address the illegal dumpers? NV / Ryan Homes at Wentworth Green is trucking the clay/shale from their development and dumping it on the cheap at the Smith Farm.
ReplyDeleteCall their Chairman, Dwight Schar, at 703-956-4000 and tell him what you think about the hundreds of trucks they are responsible for sending through our neighborhood. How much money did he save illegally dumping, and then take home more than $30 million last year?
It is absolutely disgusting that he is able to get away with this and the county and vdot sit by and do nothing! It is endangering the lives of everyone who drives on Catharpin Rd and polluting our environment. There must be a way to force the county and vdot to do their jobs and shut this illegal operation down!!
ReplyDeleteOverheard at Blue Ridge Seafood this past week: A man was saying that he was somehow making money from this operation at Smith's also, and all the neighbors are against it-but Smith thinks his high priced lawyer has it all under control and was telling these other people at another table that they should support Smith as he is doing something really great!!! I was appalled!
ReplyDeleteOh good, more heresay. Must be the facts, you heard it at Blue Ridge Sea food.
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ReplyDeleteIts getting real old having to pull way over to almost the ditch at the curve at Red Fence Farm to avoid a dump truck two feet into my lane of traffic. In my view, its all about the money. I could care less what he does on his property as long as it doesnt create a hazard to the surrounding community. And I could also care less how long the "family farm" has been in the family. He now has 100s of property owning neighbors that shouldnt be negatively impacted by his mining (I heard went on a few years ago, probably what created the big goldfish ponds), and dumping operations. Whatever goodwill that farm had in the community prior to the dump activities has been trashed.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone actually looked at what he's having hauled in, or just sitting back and taking his word for it? He has been "improving his farm land" for at least 2 years or more. He could have filled the Grand Canyon by now. $$$$$$
ReplyDeleteI drive my 2 children to daycare every morning and had to literally slam on the brakes in order to avoid an accident near that red fence curve area. Those trucks have room, but at the pace they are going they can't make the curves without going halfway into the oncoming lane and with a full load at those speeds, someone is going to get killed. As long as they stop in September, I don't have a problem with them finishing the "topsoil" work for the next month, but the county is responsible for posting an officer where the dangerous curves are and ticket reckless truck drivers to make it safe for us for the remainder of this operation. That's the least the county can do if they have allowed operation to continue. And in the end, it should not be paid with taxpayer's dollars, but it's the county's butt if someone gets killed AND they find the dump was illegal. It was permitted without monitoring and that's a shame.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you call the police and ask them to monitor these dangerous curves and tell them and the county you are going to hold them responsible for any accidents?
ReplyDeleteYou mean to tell me that they are so small minded that they actually think that saying how they had to endure Heritage Hunt therefore that they need to get back at everyone is an excuse or justification for their shenanigans? In addition- the dumpers (Donovan claims to be making a bundle off the dumps he makes)will never fess up to what they are dumping to protect hand that feeds him.
ReplyDeleteFYI its not a dump. They are good people and are just trying to fix up a section of there land.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever considered that Catharpin Road was a lot safer before all of you new folks moved in? I don't like the traffic either, but to blame someone who is trying to keep land in farming any way he can is absurd. I suppose you would rather have another field of sub divisions like most of you live in?
ReplyDeleteSigned- a nearly 20 year resident of Catharpin Road who now gets to deal with all of you new people, school buses, and traffic jams.and new lights... not to mention the blasting and huge amount of construction traffic and dump trucks that were all part of building your new homes! All of which was occurring before dump trucks went to Smith Farm!
Mac... I find your mission statement so very interesting. Do you really want to "return the safe condition prior to the start of the landfill operation on the Smith property"- then why don't you burn down your sub division and all of the other ones built on this road or that feed in to it. It sure was a lot safer before you all moved here.
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ReplyDeletePeople who have nothing to hide, hide nothing.
ReplyDeleteIf you read the article in the newspaper in which Bradley Smith was interviewed, it is quite obvious that the rather illiterate comments above are coming from the same source--same syntax, misused words, coarse language, etc. Obviously the writing above that is full of grammatical errors and reflects a lack of attention to writing skills is coming from the same source while the more literate and syntactically correct ones are perhaps coming from his lawyer, thrown in here to defend their actions and make it look like they have supporters when in reality they don't-- other than the govt. and their legal retainers.
ReplyDeleteI just read some of these comments and clearly see that you guys are unhappy. What I would like you to do is open your mind for a few minutes..... Where were you when Dominion Valley, Piedmont, Heritage Hunt (among others) were being built? Those very houses that you live in, where were you when they were being built?? I am sure you were not here. I had to have several windshields replaced, had to get rock dent/chips on my hood fixed, not to mention the traffic and unsafe trucks. The trucks driving to the Smith Family Farm are no different than the ones we had to suffer through when your McMansions were being built. I also remember when Dulles Airport started getting big. There were a lot of homeowners who moved near the airport after it was built. Once the air traffic grew, they got upset. I'm sorry, but the airport was there first, just as the Smith Family Farm was there before your homes were built.
ReplyDeleteI was told about all the ruckus caused by the nearby developments and expected to really see some legitimate issues. I'm sorry, but I do not see annoying dump trucks an issue. It is part of development and we all had to deal with it when one of our neighboring farmer friends sold out so the McMansions you guys live in could be built. And what about all that construction on 66? That is a royal pain and redoing the asphalt has damaged my new truck. Am I upset? A little, but you have to chalk it up to being part of life in the metro area.
You guys should be careful what you wish for..... if there was not a 200+ acre farm, you could have a bunch of townhouses and condos... maybe even some "low income housing" projects. You think dump trucks are bad, just wait until the drugs and gangs move in next door!!!
Hey VirginiaMoo, I was here. I lived here when Oak Valley was first being built. There was not a stream of dump trucks going up and down Catharpin Road. Remember, Smith is trying to fill his property, so on whatever day that takes place, dozens and dozens of trucks are hauling stuff in like a parade. Trucks streaming in and out, just seconds apart. They overtake Catharpin Road and have absolutely no regard for automobile traffic that they are sharing the road with.
ReplyDeleteIf you read all these posts and articles, you would know that there have been at least two accidents with School Buses that have CHILDREN on them. There have been numerous incidents of people nearly run off the road (myself included on at least three occasions). There was never this volume of activity, ALL AT ONCE, on local roads, with the construction of the neighborhoods you mention.
Furthermore, I have no option but to drive on Catharpin Road -- it is the only way in or out from Oak Valley. I can't just choose another road to go around it. It is also the road that every single school bus going to Bull Run Middle must drive on - just think of how many children that is.
The very people you single out (those of us that live in these newer neighborhoods) as being part of the "problem" have contributed, through their taxes and hard earned dollars, to road improvements and the blossoming of numerous profitable businesses and quality schools for ALL area kids. They have a right to demand safe roads on which to travel and go about their daily lives.
I don't begrudge Smith Farm trying to improve their property, but I do take issue with how he has gone about it, and his disregard for his neighbors. His attitude is basically "too bad; what I'm gonna do is what I'm gonna do, and I bear no culpability for any off the issues that result from it." That's just being an irresponsible citizen and neighbor.
You are living in a fantasy world or what you want to remember. There was tons of traffic, dirt on the roads, clouds of dust wafting through the street and into our homes during the development of Oak Valley. And where do you think this dirt comes from? These very subdivisions and all the others like it being built. This process involves a tremendous amount of dirt removal- Heritage Hunt, DV, Piedmont, ALL of them had tons and tons of dirt removed, most of it trucked up and down Catharpin road and other neighboring roads. In fact, Smith was late to game in getting this dirt to his farm.
DeleteAnonymous, I guess you were not traveling the same roads I was when all the building was going on!
ReplyDeleteHopefully the county will listen to your cries for safe roads. They don't seem to listen to much else. Heck, I have been fighting for safe roads as well, but nothing happens. A drunk, illegal immigrant killed a nun not too far from my farm yet there are still a bunch of illegals around here. Not to mention I get passed by cars on the "Stafford County Expressway" daily. The people try to run you off the road. It is annoying? Yes. It is unsafe? YES! Do I blame the government who employees most of these idiots who are trying to get home quickly? No. It's the fault of the person behind the wheel. Same goes that the Smith's are not responsible for the way the drivers of the dump trucks are acting.
Like I said before, be careful for what you wish for... a bunch of townhouses, low income housing and illegals would be a hard pill to swallow. Also, if you keep trying to cause problems for farmers you won't have to worry about school buses for your kids. Instead you can worry about how you are going to pay $20 for a gallon of milk for your kids to drink, or paying $12 for a Big Mac, or $10 for a pound of flour, or $15 for a dozen eggs. Just food for thought!!
There most certainly were dump trucks on Catharpin and worse when Oak Valley was being built. Not to mention blasting and power outages while all of infrastructure was being put in place. And I am sure you Mr. and Mrs. Oak Valley residents and your friends chose to know NOTHING about the eminent domain cases (yes that is plural as there several) the building of YOUR HOMES forced to be waged against at least two of your neighbors on Catharpin Road who were forced to give up their land so that your new homes could be built and have water and sewer. That cost us thousands of dollars and a lot of aggravation. Development has had a price that we all are paying- there is too much traffic on this road and most people drive too fast on it. To pretend that Catharpin Road was safe before Smith started trucking in dirt is a total fabrication of reality. In fact, it used to be a drag strip on some parts. How many accidents have there been on that curve closer to Piedmont South? How many times have my neighbors had to replace their mailboxes that were hit or run in to? Many, many, many and none of these have anything to do with Smith Farm and trucks. How hard is it to get out of our driveways because the County thought that putting a School on what used to be a rural road made sense? How fast do all of those parents whose children are too good to ride the bus drive when dropping off and picking up kids? How fast are those buses going? My car was hit by a resident of Oak Valley while entering my own driveway - and what was her quip? Well the speed limit is 45 miles an hour on this road.... Gee lady, thanks.. so sorry I got in your way as you rush up and down this road. Please do not pick on Smith farm. The fact that none of the elected officials have ever visited astounds me. Yet you claim there is garbage there? The issue is speeding and volume of traffic because of the over development, school, and cut through commuter road Catharpin has become, not a few dump trucks. I hope you all can still sleep at night knowing that you are fighting a family of farmers who are just trying to get by. To say they are getting rich off of this is insulting. Go visit Smith Farm on PW Farm Day at the end of September when they open up to the community and ask yourself how "rich" are these people? Well I guess they are.... Rich in heart and agricultural values, which is more than most of you on this blog have!
ReplyDeleteI would like to request everyone's asistance in approving HB 1076 to stop the proprosed landfill at 5904 pageland lane. I live on Pageland Lane and we now have two landfills which are being created on a technicality of calling it for farming purposes…. These people get paid dumping fees. The result of 250 dump trucks on Pageland lane will endanger everyone’s life that travels the road. I have no problem with legitimate farmers needing to make a living - perhaps allowing them to subdivide their land some for residential purposes could help. But turning their property into a dumping ground hurts us all.
ReplyDeletePageland lane is already used as a cut through for many commuters and the average speed on the road is well over the posted 45mph limit. God forbid another person be killed by a dump truck driver's negligence, simliar to the one on Catharpin Road - the dumptruck had just left the Smith family farm landfill dump.
Another concern of mine is watershed - the proposed site has a creek runing through it. Little bull Run creek is a cheseapeake watershed source - a landfill next to this can not be tolerated - 5904 Pageland lane is not an appropriate place for a dump - Artemus road remains unpaved and pageland lane can not handle this additional type of traffic. Lastly - what about the preserving the area surrounding the historic battlefield ? Just this year the 150th anniversary of Bull Run was hosted just a few 100 yards from where this proposed dump will be established. The bill needs immediate approval or Prince William County will become the “landfill” capital of No. Va. Thank you for your time.
Pageland lane resident
My neighbor who resides on Pageland Lane along with me told me about this last week.
ReplyDeleteI am outraged at the lack of a sense or urgency to stop this.
Residents of the rural crescent need to band together to protect the area where we call home. The roads can't handle this type of traffic - the watershed of the creek that passes through the proprosed site at 5904 pageland lane will forever be damaged with run off.
Residents please attend the meeting next Tuesday and voice your concerns. Together our voices will be heard and we can work together to protect the area that we live in.
Today i am going to be delivering some information to neighbors in the area who will be directly effected by this. If you are interested in assisting with this effort please reply to this post.
Concerned resident on pageland lane