THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 13, 1995 TAG: 9512130374
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
It won't likely be built until the next century, but a new and improved Virginia Route 168 moved a step closer to completion Tuesday, when the Chesapeake City Council approved a final location for the city's most important road project.
The new, 10.5-mile highway will run parallel to and just west of the current Battlefield Boulevard. It will start at the Great Bridge Bypass and rejoin a widened section of Battlefield Boulevard south of Gallbush Road.
Still to be decided is whether the highway will be a toll road.
There was little debate before the 8-1 vote. Councilman John W. Butt, however, chastised state officials for not fully funding the road sooner.
Calling it ``the Gold Road'' for its estimated $10 million- to $12 million-per-mile price tag, Butt urged the audience to call local legislators and others to speed up the road's full funding and construction.
``We've been put on the back burner for too long,'' he said. ``I'm tired of being a stepchild to the state.''
The council approved the location for what has become known as Alternative 1, one of three options offered and the one most favored by citizens during a recent informational meeting.
However, the route approved differs slightly from what was originally proposed.
The changes came after city staff met with several environmental agencies that must issue permits for the road's construction. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others have said wetlands hurt by the new road are their primary concern.
As a result of those meetings, the proposed route now joins Battlefield Boulevard near the North Carolina line and just before it crosses the Northwest River. Rather than build a new bridge, plans now call for the existing bridge to be widened.
The cost of the road is estimated at $110 million, including land acquisition. City staff said between 48 acres and 63 acres of wetlands will be affected.
Battlefield Boulevard has been identified as Chesapeake's most important road project for years. The road, the main route to North Carolina's Outer Banks, is currently handling three times the traffic it was designed for.
Summertime delays are almost routine, and local residents are often trapped in their homes when the road clogs.
North Carolina officials are pressing Virginia officials to get the road built as well. Widening construction has begun on sections of the road on North Carolina's side, and there is concern that the improved road in North Carolina will cause further bottlenecks in Chesapeake during the summer.
The process of getting Virginia's side of the road widened has been slow. In addition, many critical questions remain unanswered, including who will pay for the road, will it contain tolls and who will build it.
There is still talk that the road could be built by a private builder using public funds and operated as a toll road.
Battlefield Boulevard's new location must next be approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The matter has yet to be scheduled before the board.
A final environmental study is expected to be completed next spring along with surveys of the route and the start of the road's design process.
KEYWORDS: ROAD CONSTRUCTION
by CNB