Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 13, 1995 TAG: 9507130075
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH HUNTLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Nearly 50 percent of the people who shared their opinions at public hearings on May 24 and 25 said they want engineers to straighten out the dangerous S-curves at the start of Bent Mountain Road. They also want any reconstruction of the road to stay within the existing roadbed.
The second largest bloc of support, 16.6 percent, was for constructing a new highway south of the creek, followed closely by the 16.5 percent of respondents who favored keeping the existing two-lane road the way it is.
The results were good news for activists who formed an alliance to educate residents about the impact of a new highway, but the majority's viewpoint has put VDOT in a dilemma.
Throughout the public process, VDOT engineers have acknowledged that they prefer Option C, building a new highway south of the creek, saying it would cost less and cause the least disruption.
Now, faced with a strong - and different - signal from the public, they are left trying to figure out what to do.
"We're not prepared to divulge what our decision will be before we meet with the county," construction engineer Pete Sensabaugh said, "but from the perspective of corridor feasibility, we certainly have a good feel of what the citizen input is."
Sensabaugh said the public's preference is not the only factor VDOT's district office will consider before making its recommendation to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Of equal importance, he said, are engineers' perspectives and the position of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors.
"Citizen input has always had weight in our process," Sensabaugh said. "It's one of three major factors with tremendous impact, but the other influencing factors also have tremendous impact."
The Board of Supervisors plans to hold a public hearing on the 221 project in August, after VDOT shares its recommendation with county officials. Members of the citizens' advisory committee and activist group PAC 221 are anxious to see what that recommendation will be.
"They had the largest response to any VDOT public hearing in the history of their public hearings, and only 16 percent supported their preference," said Brent Riley, one of the residents spearheading PAC 221. "But, from the last citizens' advisory committee meeting, it's clear that they aren't sure how to handle that."
Riley argues that VDOT officials need to realize that environmental, historical and community issues are as important as engineering considerations.
"Engineers' decisions cannot always prevail," he said.
Sensabaugh said the process could proceed in one of two ways: VDOT could choose one corridor and continue on to design studies, holding public hearings on the type of road constructed in late 1996; or the engineers could opt to hold another set of public hearings next spring on the road's location, limiting the choices to the existing roadbed or a new highway.
Gordon Saul, president of the Back Creek Civic League, which actively worked to get VDOT interested in 221, said he hopes the results do not slow the planning process.
"I'm encouraged by the fact that so many people took part in the hearings, but we've got a bad situation on that road, and any delays will make it worse," Saul said. "The county has predicted that 1,000 new homes will be built in our area in the next 10 to 20 years. The traffic situation is destined to get worse. The question is: How much worse?''
by CNB