Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 19, 1990 TAG: 9003192551
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER SOUTHWEST BUREAU
DATELINE: FORT CHISWELL LENGTH: Medium
A new sign erected to tell motorists how to get to the Factory Merchants Mall just off Interstate 81-77 in eastern Wythe County.
The 175,000-square-foot shopping facility opened with fanfare in May 1989. It boasts a wide variety of merchandise, plenty of parking space and even a regional information center provided by the U.S. Forest Service.
But only about half of the 40 stores in its red-roofed buildings have been occupied so far, and some merchants suspect the mall's presence hasn't been noticeable enough from the highway.
Motorists can hardly miss it now. Its yellow letters against a red background, raised atop a massive green pole that looks like a three-stage rocket about to take off, are illuminated by 28 lights at night.
It will be particularly helpful for southbound motorists, since it directs them to leave the highway at Exit 25, which is the next one they reach. Northbound travelers, however, have already passed Exit 25 and can get to the mall only by turning around at the next exit and heading back.
There are several possible ways to go after leaving the interstate. The correct one is north past the Petro Truck Stop, 1.5 miles on a road that goes directly to the mall.
That leaves Exit 25 the only problem. Traffic begins piling up there during major holidays when colleges close and people travel.
The Virginia Department of Transportation placed a traffic signal at the exit to try to ease the problem, but people from nearby businesses say it has made the situation worse.
"It's a hazard. It's a safety problem," James E. "Eddie" Hagee, who has a service station there, told the Wythe County Board of Supervisors last week. He brought photographs showing lines of cars backed up at the lights.
John Howard, manager at Petro, said the lines are often 10 or 15 cars long. "I'm not here to complain about business; I'm here to complain about safety," he said.
One problem is the amount of traffic from six-lane Interstate 81-77 funneling into four-lane I-77, which heads south toward the Carolinas. The combined interstate is carrying more traffic than was anticipated.
"We had multiple requests for the lights," resident engineer Allen Williams told the supervisors. "The problem's never going to be solved until the new interchange is built."
by CNB