Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 2, 1990 TAG: 9003023385
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: PETER MATHEWS NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The route, called 3A, would include a new interchange at Interstate 81 near Hill's Plaza and a new road between Blacksburg and Christiansburg just east of U.S. 460.
It would cost $105.6 million, and the only cheaper alternative under study - widening 460 to eight lanes instead of building a new road - would not adequately serve traffic, department officials said.
Bob Sumpter, district administrator in the department's Salem office, said 3A had received the most favorable comments during two days of presentations in Blacksburg and Christiansburg. Routes 7 and 10, which would link Blacksburg and the Roanoke Valley, were viewed the most unfavorably because of their cost and environmental impact, Sumpter said.
More than 350 people came to look Wednesday and Thursday at where the roads might go. Tracing the routes on huge aerial maps, they determined whether their houses, and those of friends and relatives, were threatened.
Many residents agree that something must be done to alleviate traffic congestion in the New River Valley, department officials said.
"I think everybody is concerned," Sumpter said. "We haven't had anybody say you don't need to do anything."
But there was little enthusiasm for the direct link from Blacksburg to Roanoke.
"This one is an environmental disaster," Lindsay West said as she traced Routes 7 and 10, which would run from Ironto to Blacksburg.
West, former chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, noted that travel time from Roanoke to Blacksburg using those routes would be 27 minutes. The trip via her choice - 3A - would be 34 minutes.
"It hardly seems worth the expense and the destruction of the countryside for seven minutes," she said.
Route 7 would cost $160 million to build, according to the department. Route 10's price tag is $193 million.
Another opponent of those routes is Louise Spangler, who lives on Virginia 603 in eastern Montgomery County. Spangler, armed with a display of photocopies of flood pictures, said Routes 7 or 10 would make flooding worse in her community.
Spangler said Thursday evening that she would stay the entire 12 hours of the public presentations - and be back for the eight-hour public hearing Tuesday.
Bill Tanger, chairman of Friends of the Roanoke River, said Routes 7 and 10 also would endanger the Roanoke logperch. The rare fish gained protection last year under the federal Endangered Species Act, partly as a result of the controversy over the Spring Hollow reservoir and Roanoke River flood-reduction proposals, Tanger said.
"Our assumption is . . . the highway department would be absolutely insane to use Route 10 or 7," he said. "The logperch doesn't threaten the highway. In fact, the highway threatens the logperch."
If the Commonwealth Transportation Board backs one of those routes, "then of course we'll raise holy hell and go from there."
Meanwhile, most members of a committee of business, political and Virginia Tech people promoting the direct link said they had not studied the routes thoroughly.
Based on a quick look, Dick Robers, chairman of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, said Route 10 appeared a good choice because of its economic development potential.
Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr., another committee member, said Route 10 may offer the best potential for development of research industries using "smart" transportation concepts.
While some other members said the committee hasn't decided which route it will support, Blacksburg Mayor Roger Hedgepeth said Wednesday night that the group "has or will go on record as supporting the Route No. 6."
No. 6 is a shorter and less costly route than 7 or 10, running from Blacksburg's southern limit to Interstate 81 near Virginia 641.
But Virginia Tech President James McComas, who also attended Wednesday's meeting of town and university leaders, was quick to add that the university had not officially taken a position.
Fitzpatrick said he hoped Tech would.
"I think they have the responsibility to try to decide what is best," he said. "The university has got to recognize the importance of this transportation artery to them. It is important for them to take a position."
Although it has not publicly backed a specific route, Tech has endorsed the concept of the direct link.
Christiansburg Town Council and Montgomery County supervisors will discuss the issue in separate meetings at 5 p.m. today. F
The public hearing will be from 1 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Holiday Inn in Blacksburg.
Staff writer Cathryn McCue contributed to this report.
by CNB