Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 28, 1995 TAG: 9504280051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH HUNTLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"That's what this project is," Stanley said Thursday night at the Virginia Department of Transportation's information session on the proposed rerouting of U.S. 221. "People need to realize Back Creek is a special area. More road upgrades bring more people."
Stanley has lived in her home at Cotton Hill Road and U.S. 221 for 15 years. She knows there are traffic problems on the two-lane, winding road that passes her property, but she likes the tranquillity of the area.
"Once you have everyone coming out here, it won't be what it is now. It'll be Penn Forest or [Virginia] 419," she said.
Stanley thought for a minute before making her recommendation.
"Maybe they could just fix the curves," she said.
But engineers say U.S. 221 needs more than minor tinkering, and they have the numbers to prove it. By the year 2025, more than 18,000 cars a day will drive the section of road that connects Brambleton Avenue with Bent Mountain, according to traffic projections.
VDOT brought these figures and other information to the public's attention at Cave Spring Junior High School on Thursday in an effort to promote community involvement. An estimated 200 Back Creek residents walked from table to table and map to map, sharing their thoughts with VDOT engineers - and each other.
"In the past, the public wouldn't have seen these maps until we got to the public hearing stage. Now, we're trying to give people the chance to give input from the bottom up," VDOT District Manager Fred Altizer said as he watched the crowd.
Just about everyone has an opinion.
VDOT says to deal with more congestion and more growth, the best approach would be more roads. Though no decision has been made, engineers have acknowledged that they prefer the option of building a four-lane highway south of the creek. The road would start in front of the Harris home, cross Cotton Hill Road and reconnect with the existing U.S. 221 at Poage Valley Road.
Called the C option, that route had its supporters Thursday. Although residents were asked to submit written comments, they were eager to share their thoughts in one-on-one discussions.
"That one doesn't bother anyone," said R.A. Ramsey, who lives on the Poage Valley Creek Road extension. "C goes through wooded areas and bypasses the Back Creek school. That'd be good, because it would keep all the traffic away from the children."
But others, including a citizens' group called PAC 221, say the C route would bring commercial development and destroy the area's rural character.
"I'm in favor of improving the current road," Ramsey's brother-in-law Rory MacGregor said. "I moved out to the country for a reason, and that would be the least disruptive to the community here."
Libby and Lyle Anderson shudder at that thought. If VDOT widened the existing U.S. 221, their home of eight years could border a steep and precarious cliff.
"Our feelings are pretty personal, but we don't want them to widen the existing road. We hadn't planned on moving ever," Libby Anderson said. "This was our house, the one. This was supposed to be it."
No one should plan on relocating yet, however. Construction Engineer Pete Sensabaugh told the audience that VDOT is weighing factors, including the environment, restrictions of the terrain, development, cost and the community's character.
"We fully anticipate that there will be new proposals made and some changes to the ones we have here," he said.
Public hearings on the project have been set for May 24 and 25.
by CNB