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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 31, 1993                   TAG: 9303310330
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ABANDON THE SMART ROAD BOONDOGGLE

HERE WE go again with the dialogue about the proposed Blacksburg-Interstate 81 link highway (Alternate 6 - the so-called "smart road"). As a Montgomery County resident and taxpayer, I am among many who oppose this project for a number of reasons.

The detrimental effects to the natural environment of constructing a major highway through the Ellett Valley have been clearly stated by many. They are obvious and unquestionable. However, the effects on the human environment are subject to interpretation.

Transportation Board member Steve Musselwhite was quoted as saying that he envisions a "megalopolis" stretching from Roanoke to Blacksburg. To be sure, a few business interests, politicians and the Virginia Tech administration share this vision.

Is this what the residents of the Roanoke and New River valleys want? Recent polls in this newspaper indicate that residents of the Roanoke area do not want the character of the region to change. They don't want the big-city atmosphere and all its inherent problems. In the New River Valley, there has been an overwhelming public outcry against the highway and subsequent development in the scenic Ellett Valley, which is a designated forestal-agricultural region in Montgomery County's comprehensive plan.

Southwestern Virginia offers unparalleled scenic rural beauty. As a transplant from Northern Virginia (Fairfax County), this is what drew me here. I am all too aware of the consequences of allowing special interests to control the direction and scope of development in a region. New River Valley residents enjoy a way of life that is fast disappearing in other parts of the commonwealth, and it would be a shame to lose it.

Supporters of the link highway have never been able to justify its construction. The approved 460 bypass (3A) will alleviate the traffic congestion on Route 460 between Blacksburg and I-81, greatly reducing driving time between Blacksburg and Roanoke. It also could provide a test site for Tech's "smart road" technology research. This much-needed highway makes the link highway redundant. Considering this, and all the really pressing transportation needs in this area, spending more than $80 million on an unnecessary five-mile highway is an insult to the taxpayers. The Department of Transportation should begin construction of 3A as soon as possible, and abandon the ill-conceived Alternate 6. SHIREEN I. PARSONS BLACKSBURG

by CNB