Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 26, 1995 TAG: 9504260079
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH HUNTLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But to the residents of Back Creek, the people whose homes could be razed, whose neighborhoods could be split, whose back yards could be lost, the lines are significant. And the process of choosing between them, a matter of survival.
For more than four months, a citizens advisory committee has met to hear from engineers, share residents' feedback and consider the alternatives. Now, at a meeting Thursday, transportation officials are ready to pass on what they've learned.
The session, which will be held at Cave Spring Junior High School from 5 to 9 p.m., will include displays, maps and one-on-one discussions with transportation and county representatives. At 7 p.m., officials will make brief presentations. Thursday's educational meeting is a precursor to public hearings scheduled for May 24 and 25, when VDOT will seek community consensus.
That won't be easy. Most Back Creek residents agree that the existing U.S. 221, with its narrow lanes and dangerous curves, needs work. In fact, it was residents who petitioned VDOT to address the problems.
More than 10,000 vehicles use the winding road each day, and VDOT projects that traffic volume will grow to 18,000 vehicles per day by 2020.
But when fixing the problem boils down to the details, opinions differ. VDOT says it is committed to hearing from all sides before making up its mind.
``No decisions have been made about Route 221,'' said Jeff Echols, VDOT resident engineer for Roanoke County. ``No plans have been drawn. We need to gather more feedback from the community.''
Engineers have acknowledged, however, that they prefer option C, a four-lane highway south of the creek that would begin at the Harris home and end at Old Mill Road.
Any road constructed during this phase would end at Old Mill Road, but VDOT is also looking toward the future, when long-range plans could stretch the highway farther, to the base of Bent Mountain.
Option C would cost less than the other corridors and displace the fewest homes, construction engineer Pete Sensabaugh said.
Some residents, however, say option C threatens their quality of life. If engineers build a four-lane highway separate from the existing road, six paved thoroughfares would cut through the rural Back Creek community. And with any major road, they say, commercial development is sure to follow.
Option C could also endanger the 250-year-old Poage Farm area by cutting across farmland and pastures owned by the Poage family. Neighbors signed a petition urging VDOT to salvage the dairy farm, which they say reflects the spirit of the community.
``The residents want sensitivity expressed toward the farm. That's been the No. 1 rallying point,'' developer and committee member Steve Strauss said.
At a recent advisory committee meeting, Strauss suggested constructing a road that would bypass the dangerous S-curve near the Harris home by crossing behind the house and reconnecting to the existing roadway. The route, which follows A to A1 to B on the accompanying map, then would continue along the existing U.S. 221 with spot improvements made farther down.
That scenario would please a new citizens group, which is calling itself PAC 221. The group, made up of nine residents and spearheaded by landowner Brent Riley, put out a flier Monday urging community involvement.
``We can, with diligence, end up with a much improved 221 that blends into our communities, enhances public safety and accommodates future traffic needs,'' the group's letter says.
The way to accomplish this, Riley said, is to contain construction within the existing roadbed.
Residents will have the opportunity to submit written comments at the informational session Thursday and at the public hearings next month.
by CNB