 |
||
 |
||
| What's next in the process? | ||
|
May: Environmental impact study by VDOT goes to the Federal Highway Administration. This draft study will evaluate each proposed corridor. It will not contain an opinion about which route should be chosen.
Summer 2000: The study is reviewed by the highway administration and four other federal agencies: The Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. The process can take three to six months. Early fall 2000: The Feds return the draft environmental impact statement to VDOT in Salem. It may come back with tentative approval, or changes may be suggested. Late fall 2000: (Approximately) Public hearings are scheduled. Times and places will be announced. To receive notice, call VDOT's I-73 hotline at 1-888-473-7526. Public opinions gathered here will be considered by VDOT as it decides whether to build and where. January 2001: VDOT releases its opinion. James Browder, VDOT's chief engineer in Richmond, will have recommend an option and route to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. This group of 17 includes three VDOT senior officials and business people who represent the state's nine transportation districts. March 2001: An option and route are chosen. The transportation board usually approves or rejects Browder's recommendation based on a project's usefulness and cost. It rarely orders significant modifications. April 2001: Another engineering study looks at the chosen route, seeking any previously undetected environmental concerns and historic sites. August 2001: VDOT sends its final environmental impact statement to the Federal Highway Administration. If it's accepted, the agency issues a Record of Decision that authorizes construction. January 2002: Lobbying begins for construction funds, currently estimated at $1.4 billion if a new interstate is built, and $145 million if U.S. 220 is improved. |
|
|
|
Local content copyright © 2000 The Roanoke Times |
||