THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 1996 TAG: 9601170346
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
All agree that a section of Centerville Turnpike is both dangerous and deadly. The problem is, what does the city of Chesapeake want to spend to fix it?
Winding tightly around the Centerville Farms development near Land of Promise Road, the S-curve has been blamed for two deaths in the past two years while averaging five accidents per year over the past five years. One accident was featured on the television program ``Rescue 911.'' Many of the accidents involved alcohol.
Nearby residents say a simple walk to the mailbox involves risk.
The Chesapeake City Council, faced with a tight five-year capital budget and a bevy of building needs, is undecided over how to cure the problem.
Repairs have been held up for months as they try to choose between spending $1.5 million for a new road alignment or $850,000 to soften the curve.
Tuesday night, the council again delayed a decision until Jan. 23 at the earliest.
In the meantime, Mayor William E. Ward asked the city's public works department to come up with stop-gap measures while the council mulls its options. The city may place warning lights around the curve, lower the speed limit to 40 mph or place rumble strips along the roadway.
The issue has not only split the council but has pitted neighbor against neighbor.
Some residents want the city to cure the problem by realigning the road. Even residents who would lose their homes to the new alignment have said they are willing to sacrifice for the safety of others. Permanently fix the problem now, they say, by spending the money.
``You can have the Vienna Choir out there singing `Dead-Man's Curve' and it's not going to slow these people down,'' said one resident at a recent public hearing.
Others say the city should save taxpayer funds on the project by taking a minimal approach. Some residents have said that all of those killed or injured around the curve were within 10 miles of their homes. If locals are simply warned about the dangers of the curve, they said accidents will likely decrease there.
The $1.5 million realignment would require the destruction of two homes. An $850,000 road-banking project would not disturb homeowners.
The city staff has recommended the realignment, saying it is safe, geometrically sound and would cost no more than was allocated for the project under the city's road bond referendum.
The city staff had recommended banking the curve. But after residents protested, the city reconsidered.
All agree with the sentiments of one man who spoke during a recent public hearing on the project.
``You can replant a tree and you can rebuild a house,'' he said. ``But there is not enough soil or water around to bring back a loved one once they're gone.'' ILLUSTRATION: Map
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