THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 12, 1995 TAG: 9510120308
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
The public will have a chance to speak out today at a hearing on plans to improve Virginia's portion of Route 168, the main traffic pipeline to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Transportation planners have proposed three possibilities for improving the 10-mile stretch of two-lane road, legendary for its summerlong traffic backups.
One option would be to widen the two-lane roadway to as many as eight lanes, , depending on how much traffic each section gets. Residents and owners of businesses along the road have said that would cut severely into their property.
The other two options call for the construction of a bypass around the existing roadway. The proposals differ on which route the bypass would take.
Information about the project and maps showing the three proposals will be available at the hearing, which will be conducted by Chesapeake and Virginia Department of Transportation officials.
The push to improve Route 168, also called South Battlefield Boulevard, has been on for nearly a decade, said Mary Ann Saunders, assistant to the Chesapeake city manager.
Residents have complained for years that tourist traffic traveling to and from the Outer Banks makes the road impassable at times. Rescue workers have expressed concerns that it is difficult to respond to emergencies when cars are choking the roadway.
State and local officials say they are getting closer to a resolution of the issue.
After the public hearing, state and federal agencies are expected to decide which route to take in improving the road.
Still, it could be after the turn of the century before construction on the road is finished.
The project still must be designed, and city and state officials must decide how to pay for it. by CNB