THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 28, 1996 TAG: 9608280426
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 49 lines
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a program to identify commercial buildings that could be dangerous during fires, a move to prevent accidents similar to the one that killed two Chesapeake firefighters in March.
Stickers bearing bright red ``T''s on a white background will begin appearing throughout the city as part of the ordinance, which will label buildings that have truss construction. Suffolk and Portsmouth already have similar programs.
Fire Chief Michael L. Bolac has said that such construction poses a threat to firefighters. Truss construction, by design, causes roofs and floors to collapse when exposed to high heat and fire.
Such construction, in part, was blamed for the death of two Chesapeake firefighters in March when a roof collapsed after they entered a burning auto supply dealership on Indian River Road.
The city's new ``Truss Identification Program'' will not only label buildings with truss construction but also will create a database to allow firefighters to inventory all such structures throughout the city.
Firefighters also will be trained to identify various types of truss construction as they conduct surveys throughout the city.
The mandatory stickers will be placed at the front and rear entrance of every building that has truss construction. They cannot be removed unless the hazardous construction is replaced.
In other action, the council:
Unanimously approved final design of the proposed five-lane bridge on Battlefield Boulevard, over the Intracoastal Waterway. The $26.5 million project, paid for by the federal government and the city of Chesapeake, will replace a two-lane bridge while the roadway is widened and shifted toward the east.
The new bridge is expected to decrease congestion in this crowded corridor. Construction could begin in 1999 and be completed within 20 months.
Unanimously approved final design of the Oak Grove Connector, the long-awaited highway that will connect Interstates 464 and 64 with the Great Bridge Bypass. The $36.6 million project is expected to considerably reduce traffic on both Battlefield and Great Bridge boulevards.
Buying land for the route should be completed within a year, city officials said. Construction is scheduled to begin next summer and continue until the fall of 1998. The road is expected to destroy about 15 acres of nontidal wetlands, which the city must replace with more wetlands elsewhere.
Seven family homes and two barns also are expected to be destroyed by the road, which is expected to cut off some neighborhoods and homes from nearby Great Bridge Boulevard. by CNB