ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, June 26, 1996 TAG: 9606260035
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: MARION
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Officials from three counties, where people had objected to a proposed route for U.S. 58, joined Gov. George Allen on Tuesday in support of a new routing study. Gov. George Allen called for a new study Tuesday on improving U.S. 58 through Washington, Grayson and Smyth counties but got support from those counties for some broad agreements on its routing.
They include pulling Virginia 16 in Grayson and Smyth into the project and leaving parts of the project as a safer two-lane road, including some truck-passing lanes, instead of widening all of it to four lanes.
Washington, Grayson and Smyth counties agreed to include pulling Virginia 16 in Grayson and Smyth into the project and leaving parts of the proposed route as a safer two-lane road, including some truck-passing lanes, instead of widening all of it to four lanes.
Officials from all three counties' boards of supervisors joined Allen in signing an agreement asking the Commonwealth Transportation Board to do a new study that would maintain environmental standards. Residents had objected to the board's earlier routing through the environmentally sensitive Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.
Under the agreement, U.S. 58 would be widened to four lanes from Abingdon to Damascus in Washington County, turn into an improved two-lane highway from Damascus into Grayson County, then become four lanes again between Volney and Mouth of Wilson.
``I can't imagine that stretch being used by through traffic,'' Allen said, but the improvements would allow trucks to serve businesses along it.
The routing would then join Virginia 16 at Volney and head north into Smyth County to Marion. Allen said it should stay on the existing corridors where possible.
He said the big selling point for Smyth seemed to be expanding a study on widening Interstate 81 west of Marion near Adwolf and including consideration of a new interchange at McMullin.
Secretary of Transportation Robert Martinez will appoint the study group to advise him and the Virginia Department of Transportation on community concerns. Allen said environmental groups would be consulted this time.
The group's 10 to 12 members will include one supervisor from each county, one resident recommended by each board of supervisors, and representatives of the U.S. Forest Service and Mountain Heritage Alliance, among others.
The controversial segment in the three counties has held up that part of widening the 500-mile road, the longest in Virginia, to four lanes from Lee County east to Virginia Beach.
Allen also announced that former Smyth County Sheriff John Grubb will join the Transportation Board in July, replacing Joe Bert Rhea of Damascus. Allen also appointed Sonny Martin of Lee County.
Rhea had joined Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, and four state legislators - Sen. Madison Marye, D-Shawsville, Sen. Jack Reasor, D-Bluefield, Del. Joseph Johnson, D-Abingdon, and Del. John Tate, D-Marion - on June 14 in endorsing a route, after the Transportation Board had backed off trying to go through the Mount Rogers area.
Their route would have followed existing U.S. 58 from Volney to Green Cove, veer away from the recreation area to follow Virginia 726 over Chestnut Mountain near the Virginia-Tennessee line, and intersect Virginia 91 near Damascus before picking up 58 again.
Tate said Tuesday he was pleased that the three counties had reached an agreement.
``It's great that they're going to study it,'' Johnson said, ``but I'd much prefer to have an agreement that would start some progress and some dirt moving.''
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Map by staff.by CNB