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| Frequently asked questions about future 73 | ||
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Why aren't they using the straightest possible route?
Have they already decided, secretly, where to build I-73? How can I participate in the decision-making process? Does this road have to be built as an interstate highway? Has there been a study of economic advantages? What about the environment? What is Transportation Systems Management? Q: If I-73 is supposed to connect Detroit to Charleston, S.C., why aren't they using the straightest possible route, which would be Interstate 77 in Virginia? A: VDOT says interstates are supposed to connect population centers, and not necessarily follow the most direct route. Using that principle in 1993-94, Roanoke and Martinsville-area business people agreed to seek an interstate highway connecting those two cities to the Greensboro, N.C., area. They contacted Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke. Largely through Warner's efforts, Federal Highway System legislation passed in 1994 assigned the I-73 corridor in Virginia to a Bluefield-to-Martinsville course. It follows U.S. 460 to Blacksburg, the "smart road" to I-81 and Roanoke, and U.S. 220 to Martinsville. In 1995 the Roanoke Valley Business Council, representing 50 of the area's largest companies, asked their local governments to support a route generally following Interstate 581 and U.S. 220. The local governments agreed to leading the Commonwealth Transportation Board to adopt that corridor and direct the VDOT staff to concentrate its study there. Q: Have they already decided, secretly, where to build I-73? A: Legal requirements for a project this size make it impossible for VDOT to have already decided where I-73 is going. The study now under way on the environmental impact of each proposed corridor must analyze every endangered species and historical site along each path. Sensitive wildlife habitats such as wetlands also have to be considered. Construction can be delayed for years by litigation if the environmental study isn't thorough. A citizens' group that opposes a new-terrain route for I-73 already is working with a Washington, D.C., environmental lawyer who's experienced in making states toe the line on environmental regulations. Q: I'm in favor/I oppose I-73. How can I participate in the decision-making process? A: There are three excellent ways to voice your opinion. An opportunity will come this fall when VDOT accepts public comment on its Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Call 1-888-473-7526 to be notified when public hearings are scheduled, or send them an e-mail. Another way to participate is to let your elected representatives know how you feel. Use the list of phone numbers and e-mail addresses elsewhere in this site. Also, several citizen groups are supporting or opposing I-73. To participate with them, use the phone numbers and addresses elsewhere in this site. Q: Does this road have to be built as an interstate highway? A: No. One alternative being studied by VDOT would improve U.S. 220 rather than building the road to interstate standards. West Virginia is building I-73 not as an interstate but as an accessible four-lane highway. North Carolina's section between Greensboro and the Virginia line also is a four-lane road that isn't built to interstate standards. However, a 26-mile section south of Asheboro does qualify as an interstate highway. The cost of building a new Interstate 73 in Virginia is currently estimated at $1.4 billion by VDOT. Q: Has there been any study of the economic advantages Virginia could expect from I-73? A: VDOT has declined to estimate the economic impact of a new highway. The agency says federal and state rules don't require a full-scale economic-impact study. State legislators in the Roanoke and Martinsville areas are on record saying they don't want to delay the road for another economic study. To the legislators it's obvious that better roads mean better commerce. This view is widely held in the Martinsville area, where more than 3,000 layoffs at textile factories suggest an employable work force is available to new industries. Opponents of I-73 point out that several communities have failed to prosper despite the presence of an interstate highway. One such community is Clifton Forge. Q: How much attention is being paid to environmental factors, and which ones? A: Environment is the most-studied factor in choosing the highway's route. Highway opponents can often keep a road away from a neighborhood if an endangered species exists there. On Bent Mountain, I-73 opponents cited the presence of the rare pirateweed as a reason the road shouldn't go there. Federal law requires VDOT to perform an environmental impact study, which is now in its fourth year and nearly complete. VDOT expects to send its draft environmental impact statement to the Federal Highway Administration in May. This study is expected to give equal attention to all of the dozen or more possible corridors. If it fails to consider each corridor equally, opponents can argue in court that the study wasn't adequate and the road shouldn't be built. Q: What is Transportation Systems Management? A: It's one of three options VDOT is studying for I-73, along with a no-build option and constructing a new interstate highway. TSM, if chosen, means improving U.S. 220. Those improvements might include: adjusting the placement of median crossovers and traffic lights, the extension of turning lanes and reevaluating the highway's access points. It would not include adding frontage roads. The cost of TSM for U.S. 220 is estimated by VDOT at $145 million in the draft environmental impact study that will be completed in May. For questions and answers on specific parts of the I-73 study, visit this site. |
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