Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 11, 1992 TAG: 9202110373
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SUSAN S. LESLIE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
MASS TRANSIT, ANYONE? REJECT THE `SMART ROAD'
THE STATE Transportation Board is expected to make a decision this month on the "smart road" or "direct link" to Roanoke. As a taxpayer and concerned citizen, I question the Virginia Department of Transportation's "preferred" route (alternative 6):A bypass (alternative 3A) has been approved and will be built to alleviate traffic congestion on U.S. 460. The four-lane highway will go from Blacksburg, behind Wal-Mart, to the bypass that comes out at Hills Plaza.
There are plans to expand 3A to six lanes if needed. A spur to Interstate 81 is also in the approved plans, but may not be built if the "smart highway" is approved. According to VDOT studies, most of the traffic on U.S. 460 stays within the New River Valley, and only a small portion heads toward Roanoke.
If all parts of 3A are built as planned and approved, the "smart road" will save only six additional minutes on the trip to Roanoke even 23 years into the future.
The "smart road" enters I-81 about 2.5 miles closer to Roanoke than the Christiansburg entrance, removing only a short distance of the 10-mile trip down the mountain to Ironto.
The "smart road" will cut through six miles of undeveloped countryside in Montgomery County. Most of this land was set aside for protection in the county's 1990 comprehensive plan as either conservation area, prime and unique farm land, or agricultural and forest district.
The highway will be raised about 100 feet above the Ellett Valley floor between Route 723 and Wilson Creek. This filled area will be close to 500 feet wide. The proposed interchange in the valley will take about 78 acres of land.
The "smart road" potentially threatens the fragile groundwater system in Ellett Valley, where a number of wells are already contaminated. Because of the karst terrain, contamination from the highway and from potential development in Ellett Valley can rapidly enter the ground water. (Karst is characterized by limestone laced with caves, sinkholes and other subterranean features, making the pollution potential extremely high.)
The "smart road" will destroy part of the beauty and the rural atmosphere that attract many people to our area.
The draft environmental-impact statement did not adequately address the impact of the road on several endangered and threatened species of fish. The time frame and season of the year have made it impossible for the issues to be addressed adequately.
According to some politicians, the people of Montgomery County want the "smart highway." A survey used to support this statement was taken before 3A was approved. Recent studies indicate that more citizens of Montgomery County and Roanoke oppose the direct link than favor it. People in Montgomery County seem primarily concerned with the traffic on U.S. 460, not traffic between Blacksburg and Roanoke.
Montgomery County needs an economic boost. I support development of "smart technology" at Virginia Tech, and applaud all that the research can bring to our area.
However, the technology should be tested and applied on I-81, alternative 3A and new roads that are being built out of necessity, not as extras. U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher has said that if the "direct link" is not approved, he will work to maintain the approved $5 million in federal funds for application of smart technology in our area. (The $5 million does not apply to the $80-plus million needed to build the road, but to the additional $27-plus million needed for the smart technology.)
Rather than encourage America's dependency on the automobile, Tech should consider investing more in studies of mass transportation between areas such as Blacksburg and Roanoke, and in application of "smart" technology to existing roads.