Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 22, 1994 TAG: 9402220182
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Roughly 150 people from the county's Mount Tabor section showed up at a community meeting at Slussers Chapel Church on Monday night to lay plans to fight routing of the new Detroit-to-Charleston, S.C., highway through their community. They intend to write state and local officials and take their objections as a group to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday night.
One organizer criticized the board for passing a resolution asking the state to bring the road through the county before hearing from the public.
David Violette, who called the board's disregard for the public "disgraceful" and "inexcusable," urged the crowd to attend Monday's board meeting.
"The only way the Board of Supervisors is going to get the impression that anyone cares is if a lot of people turn out," he said.
Meeting organizers urged residents to take action quickly because of the short time left before the state selects a route for the road.
The planning staff of the Virginia Department of Transportation plans to recommend a route for I-73 through Virginia at the March 17 Commonwealth Transportation Board meeting.
Local governments across Western Virginia have asked for the road, and the state has developed eight possible routes based on those requests.
One of those paths would follow U.S. 460 from Bluefield to Blacksburg. From Blacksburg to Roanoke, it would follow either the Catawba Valley or, alternately, the proposed "smart road" route to the Roanoke area. It would pick up U.S. 220 south of Roanoke and follow it to the North Carolina line.
The Catawba Valley route would take the highway through a relatively narrow, scenic valley. It is an undulating terrain of limestone sinks - a valley filled with small farms and ranch houses.
Because of the limestone geology, residents questioned whether highway construction would destroy their drinking wells. Others said the highway would bring crime or might damage efforts to lure retirees to the county.
Some people questioned the economic benefits the road's supporters say it would bring. "What we need is proof it will provide long-term economic benefit," said meeting organizer Robin Boucher.
"I'd like to see specific documented cases from similar towns with similar demographics . . . and not just the good stuff; show us the bad stuff that goes along with it," Violette said.
Others worried that the road may be a done deal with Virginia Tech and other regional powers behind it.
One woman noted that public opposition to Nellies Cave Road and the "smart road" had done little good. Another pointed out that the New Century Council, an alliance of Roanoke Valley and New River Valley leaders, had called for locating the road in the area.
Linda Majors, a meeting organizer, said the smart-road path for I-73 may be out because of opposition by Virginia Tech.
Blacksburg Town Manager Ron Secrist said later that the Tech officials had expressed concern that a link with I-73 might delay construction of the high-tech experimental road, but he added that university officials had not asked Town Council to take a stand on the routing. Council has endorsed a route for I-73 through the county but has not specified a route.
Donald Sunshine echoed the feelings of many at the meeting that the cheapest and most direct route for I-73 would be along existing Interstate 77 from Bluefield to the North Carolina line.
Sunshine, a Virginia Tech architecture professor who lives on Mount Tabor Road, said the highway would devastate the countryside and waste taxpayers' money.
by CNB