ROANOKE TIMES 

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

DATE: SUNDAY, April 3, 1994                   TAG: 9404040164
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LARRY JAY WILLIAMS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GILES COUNTY'S GREATEST ASSETS ARE ON THE LINE WITH I-73

IN THE March 20 Roanoke Times & World-News, the newspaper's editorial staff followed the lead of the Roanoke business community in telling Giles County residents what's in our best interest. The editorial (``New River Valley also needs I-73'') said the Giles County Board of Supervisors' action to oppose routes for Interstate 73 was hard to fathom. If the editorial staff had been better informed on routes outlined in a Virginia Department of Transportation preliminary report, perhaps it wouldn't have been so quick to judge our actions.

From maps that were prepared to show possible alternative routes, it's obvious that most of I-73 proposed to cross the county wouldn't follow existing U.S. 460. One alternative would run east of existing U.S. 460 between Pembroke and the heavily visited Cascades, causing the town and existing businesses to wither away and an impact on one of the county's most popular tourist attractions. This same alternative, which would parallel Sinking Creek, would wipe out valuable farm land and cut through the heart of the historic community of Newport.

A second alternative, shown to the west of existing U.S. 460 and the New River, would cross back over the river at Goodwin's Ferry and devour the scenic, rural valley of Spruce Run. In the Narrows and Pearisburg areas, alternatives are shown passing through on the opposite sides of the towns and existing U.S. 460, one of which is referred to by some as the ``Pearisburg Beltway.'' Again, routes would destroy homes, businesses and land along the way and cut a scar across the face of Pearis Mountain, severing Pearisburg and the Appalachian Trail from Angel's Rest. These areas aren't pristine wilderness, but they're our greatest assets and some of the most beautiful and culturally significant country in the New River Valley, Virginia and the nation.

In terms of economic development: For the newspaper to run extensive news articles on the tragedies of the working poor, and days later to tell Giles County that it should be happy to pick up a few, low-paying jobs from I-73 as those showcased in those news articles, is a slap in the face. Our county's karst topography, steep slopes and numerous streams make it unsuitable for many types of development, but they've created assets of a different kind. We see our future based on our natural and cultural resources, rural residential development, light-industrial growth and small-business development - the type of improvements that support and nurture the close-knit, rural communities that we treasure.

We have no quarrel if the Roanoke Valley wants a better interstate to the tri-cities area in North Carolina. We have no quarrel with those who want more direct access to Roanoke through the ``smart highway'' or the bypass link between Blacksburg and Christiansburg. But when proponents of those projects insist on an interstate highway through Giles County to provide the political vehicle to projected federal dollars to reach these goals, we have serious problems with that! Differences exist between those who live in rural areas and those who live in urban areas. We value different things, a different way of life and our roots reflect these values.

If there were no other alternatives to an interstate in Giles County and the issue were of national importance, I'm sure that while most residents wouldn't welcome it, they'd also not oppose it. But this isn't the case here. The choice of I-73 over the I-77 alternative will cost nearly $500 million more to build - too much to pay for local needs that advocates hope to address. It's obvious from looking at a road map that few would use the U.S. 460/220 corridor route of I-73 for interstate through-travel because I-77 provides a shorter, more direct route.

The National Highway System was established by Congress to recognize the need for specific high-standard connectors to promote commerce. These are routes not served well within the concept of the interstates. Connectors needed by Roanoke and the New River valleys, including U.S. 460 and Virginia 100 in Giles County, should be recognized as such.

It's time to stop trying to fit a square peg in a round hole by forcing these transportation corridors into the interstate highway system, when we have the opportunity to build roads as part of the National Highway System that will better suit the needs of population centers in Southwest Virginia. This will also recognize the value and needs of our rural areas and those who live there.

Larry Jay Williams is Eastern District representative on the Giles County Board of Supervisors in Pearisburg. 


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