THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 15, 1995 TAG: 9511150215
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL AND KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
The Virginia Beach City Council gave new life and a new name to the Southeastern Expressway Tuesday by voting 10-1 to continue supporting the project, despite what had been considered fatal opposition from the Chesapeake City Council.
The road, which the Beach council renamed the Southeastern Parkway and Greenbelt, would connect Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake with the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway near Oceana. The new name is meant to describe the council's vision for the road as a tree-lined route, modeled after the Colonial Parkway in Williamsburg.
The state asked the council to take another vote on the project because its last statement of support was four years old and far from unanimous. Only Robert K. Dean opposed the project.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board is expected to decide on Dec. 21 whether to proceed with the 21-mile road.
In Chesapeake, the approval of a final location for an expansion of the chronically clogged Virginia Route 168 was delayed Tuesday to allow the City Council to get more information on the various alternatives to widening Battlefield Boulevard. The city staff recommended an option that would require tolls to pay for construction.
The road is a key link between Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks and backs up in the summer. North Carolina is widening its portion of the road, a hurricane evacuation route for the Outer Banks.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL by CNB