Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 12, 1991                   TAG: 9104120938
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A/6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

U.S. 58

The landmark was an ominous sign with its ugly death's-skull warning to eastbound motorists that they had entered an infamous 22-mile stretch of U.S. 58 in Southside Virginia. For years it's been known as "suicide strip." (The back side congratulated westbound motorists for surviving a journey through the strip.)

The sign was ceremoniously torn down by local officials of Greenville and Southampton counties as part of the dedication for a $43 million road-widening project that started in 1986 - after the local officials had embarrassed the state by erecting the sign.

"Caution. Approaching Suicide Strip. It's a two-lane killer," the sign read. Not exactly the kind of promotion for tourists and economic development that a government would brag about. But, after two decades with more than 1,300 violent accidents and 107 deaths on the narrow road, Southside residents had concluded the sign was necessary to draw the state's attention to the danger zone.

Though the heavily traveled highway was not scheduled for widening until 2010, an intense grass-roots lobbying effort moved the project up on the state transportation department's priority list. Gov. Gerald Baliles highlighted it in his 1986 transportation initiatives.

With the dedication of the new four-lane road, Transportation Commissioner Ray Pethtel declared, "From this day forward, suicide strip is history." Of course, neither Pethtel's words nor the road improvements guarantee that no one will ever die on that stretch of U.S. 58 again. But at least those taking the route will feel they have a decent chance of getting where they're going alive.