DATE: Wednesday, February 26, 1997          TAG: 9702260452

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   58 lines

BORDER ROAD MAY EASE TRAFFIC THE CORRIDOR IDEA PRESENTS SOME ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS.

Hampton Roads may be getting yet another major road.

Transportation planners are considering a new, 7 1/2-mile artery that cuts through the rapidly developing Stumpy Lake, Centerville Turnpike and Greenbrier areas and intersects Interstate 64.

Roughly following the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake border, City Line Road, as it would be called, could help alleviate traffic congestion on at least a half-dozen busy corridors in the region.

However, it could also displace ``quite a few houses,'' said William J. Cannell, Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman. There are also environmental concerns around Stumpy Lake and the Virginia Beach landfill.

Planners are conducting a feasibility study for the road and are seeking comments from citizens at an informational meeting from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Centerville Elementary School in Virginia Beach.

There will be a second public meeting next year when planners will present potential impacts and costs.

No decisions have been made. The road's alignment, size and cost are under review.

``Our next step is projecting future traffic demand in the area,'' said consultant Harriet Levine, project manager for DeLeuw Cather and Co. in Fairfax. ``We also need to identify how many lanes would be needed, the options on where it should be and how much it would cost.''

It would likely include a new interchange on Interstate 64 between the Indian River Road and Greenbrier Parkway exits.

``A lot of roads in that area feed traffic back to 64,'' Levine said. ``If we have a new connection, it could alleviate traffic on all those other roads.''

The roads that could get relief include Indian River Road, Centerville Turnpike, Greenbrier Parkway, Battlefield Boulevard, Kempsville Road and Military Highway.

The proposed corridor - between Indian River Road near Stumpy Lake and Providence Road - is densely populated in spots but undeveloped in others. A number of established communities, including Charlestown Lakes, Alexandria and College Park, are near the city line.

``We've got some dense population there,'' Cannell said. ``The smart thing for us to do is avoid those houses and those neighborhoods.''

The need for a new corridor has been underscored by growing traffic volumes. Each day, 86,000 cars travel Interstate 64 at the city line and 68,000 cars use Indian River Road near the interstate, the feasibility study shows.

``There's been big growth in the area and we expect that to continue,'' Cannell said.

The feasibility study will project traffic volumes in that area for 2018.

``We need to address the delays and congestion people currently experience on the local roads in the area.'' Levine said. ILLUSTRATION: VP MAP

PROPOSED CITY LINE ROAD KEYWORDS: ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROPOSED

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