ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 3, 1996 TAG: 9604030049
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
Construction of Interstate 73 and the "smart" road and improvements to Interstate 81, Interstate 581, U.S. 460 and U.S. 220 were among the pleas from government officials, business people and others heard by the Commonwealth Transportation Board in Salem on Tuesday.
Speaking to the board at its annual Salem District pre-allocation hearing, George Lester of Martinsville asked for expedited planning of I-73 between Roanoke and the North Carolina line. Lester is the chairman of Job Link, a committee of business leaders that has been promoting an interstate-quality highway between the Roanoke Valley and North Carolina's Piedmont Triad.
The new road, which would take the load off U.S. 220, is needed to improve safety and to help the economies of Franklin and Henry counties, Lester said.
Besides the Roanoke-to-North Carolina section of I-73, Lester asked for more turning and truck lanes and other improvements to existing U.S. 220.
Among those speaking in support of the smart road between Blacksburg and I-81, which will incorporate technology to manage traffic, was Don Hershey, human resources manager for ITT's night-vision business in Roanoke County. He called the road an "important conduit for new jobs and increased tax revenue for local and state government."
Ray Pethtel, associate director of Virginia Tech's Center for Transportation Research, estimated the smart road's potential for development of new industry and stimulation of existing business to be worth $300 million.
A lone voice against the road came from Charles Moles of Riner, in Montgomery County. Support for the road is like a gold rush, he warned, and when its promises don't pan out, the state will be left with a big highway to keep up.
LENGTH: Short : 40 linesby CNB