DATE: Thursday, September 18, 1997          TAG: 9709180348

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

                                            LENGTH:   27 lines

GILMORE SAYS PLANNED BRIDGE-TUNNEL SHOULD BE NAMED FOR REAGAN

James S. Gilmore III, the Republican candidate for governor, wants to name a proposed third bridge-tunnel between Virginia's Peninsula and South Hampton Roads after former President Reagan.

``President Reagan's policies of pursuing a strong national defense . . . contributed significantly to the region's phenomenal growth over the last 15 years,'' Gilmore wrote in a letter to state Transportation Secretary Robert Martinez.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board is to meet today to consider the location for the proposed bridge-tunnel.

Gilmore's letter encourages the board to adopt a resolution selecting a bridge-tunnel corridor between Newport News and Norfolk that would include a connection across Craney Island to Interstate 64 in Portsmouth.

Gilmore's Democratic opponent, Donald S. Beyer Jr., also supports a third crossing, Beyer spokeswoman Page Boinest said. She said a name for the crossing should be considered once the project is further along. KEYWORDS: PROPOSED BRIDGE TUNNEL

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