
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 27, 1995                   TAG: 9510270054
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

ALTERNATIVE 3A INFORMATIONAL MEETING DRAWS CROWD|

The crowd that surrounded a map of the elaborate Blacksburg interchange included in the proposed U.S. 460 bypass connector was so dense Wednesday night, even transportation officials could not get through.

"You couldn't get to that all night," said Dan Brugh, state Department of Transportation resident engineer in Christiansburg.

In total, 225 people came to an informational meeting held at the Blacksburg Holiday Inn, which was organized to obtain public comment about the proposed $135.3 million road improvement project, also known as Alternative 3A. A public hearing will be held Nov. 8 from 4 to 8 p.m., also at the Holiday Inn.

There are two parts to the project: a four-lane, 4.4-mile connection between the Christiansburg and Blacksburg bypasses; and a 1.05-mile link from the Christiansburg bypass at Roanoke Street to Interstate 81 near Falling Branch Road.

The Blacksburg interchange, which looks like a maze of complicated lines, would allow drivers access to both the business and bypass portions of U.S. 460 and the proposed "smart" highway.

The project was initiated to reduce traffic on the existing U.S. 460. Traffic studies conducted by the Transportation Department show that 49,000 vehicles travel the road between Christiansburg and Blacksburg daily, a number expected to increase to 85,800 by 2021.

In order to build the road and extension, 149 residences, 32 businesses and one nonprofit organization will be displaced by construction. Many of the people affected by the project, in addition to residents who live nearby the proposed construction areas, came to the meeting Wednesday to examine the maps.

Concerns such as whether a service road will provide adequate access to businesses affected by the construction and how much land the Transportation Department will actually buy from property owners were addressed at the meeting.

Brugh said his department will try to make changes by the Nov. 8 public hearing. "I hope they'll be resolved to everyone's satisfaction," he said. "That's our desire."

Design plans will be given to the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which must approve them before construction can begin, after the November public hearing. If approved, construction bids would go out in 1999

by CNB