ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 16, 1997 TAG: 9702170098
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MATT CHITTUM STAFF WRITER
RESIDENTS SAID THEYwould lose more than a bridge if the 63-year-old structure spanning the James River came down.
State Sen. Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo and Del. Lacey Putney have worked out a plan of action with Virginia's transportation secretary to build a new Eagle Rock bridge, but the plan requires Botetourt County to pony up $1.25 million over four years to cover half the cost.
The county also would have to commit to paying to complete the bridge if the state money falls through, as the plan was outlined in a letter from Transportation Secretary Robert Martinez to Trumbo, R-Fincastle, and Putney, I-Bedford.
"We think if this plan is not supported, there will not be a bridge at Eagle Rock," Putney said.
That makes the bridge a real hot potato for the county supervisors, who until now have been outspoken in their support for keeping a bridge at Eagle Rock. With the bridge gone, Eagle Rock would suddenly be four miles farther from U.S. 220 and would probably die, community sentiment holds.
Two supervisors tentatively supported the idea. Two others said they had too many questions to commit one way or the other.
"It's the old shift and shaft: We'll do it if you pay for it," said the fifth, Amsterdam Supervisor Bobby Layman, who noted he had not studied the proposal yet. "What kind of a deal is that?"
The move sets up the Board of Supervisors to be the bad guy, he said, but the Department of Transportation made the decision to remove the bridge. On the surface, he doesn't like the idea, he said.
"I wouldn't want to be one of the supervisors right now," said Dee Dee Bruce, the Eagle Rock woman who has led the crusade to save the 63-year-old structure or get a new one built.
The supervisors meet Tuesday but will likely put off a decision until their March 18 meeting to allow County Attorney Buck Heartwell to research the matter. They have until March 21 to decide.
Putney said he and Trumbo have worked almost daily on a way to save the bridge. Friday, Martinez sent them a letter confirming their plan.
The plan would make the new bridge part of the secondary road system. Part of the problem to date has been that the existing bridge, dubbed Virginia 43-Y, is part of the primary road system, meaning it competes for funding with projects in several counties.
Making it part of the secondary system opens the door for the state and the county to share the expense. Current estimates put the cost of removing the old bridge at $500,000. The state would pay that cost out of the primary system allocation, according to Martinez's letter.
The estimated $2.5 million for a new bridge would be split by the state and the county, with each paying $350,000 a year for three or four years, according to the letter. The state's money would come from the Department of Transportation's revenue sharing fund.
If the plan is accepted, the existing bridge would have to be closed almost immediately, Martinez said, and the county would have to include repair of another bridge, on Virginia 727 near Iron Gate, in its six-year secondary road plan.
But the big catch, the supervisors say, is Martinez's demand that an agreement be reached for contingent funding "in the unforeseen event that revenue sharing funding is not available to complete this obligation." Reasons for that might include the county's failing to apply for the funds or provide its half, or a state decision against providing its half. The state cannot allocate the matching funds over multiple years, Martinez said.
"This agreement would commit the county to use their annual secondary system allocations or other money from the county general fund to pay off any deficit," Martinez said.
To the supervisors, that sounds like the county could be putting itself on the hook for up to $2.5 million.
"It sure sounds like that, doesn't it?" said Chairman Bill Loope. But he added he is in favor of the plan.
Bonnie Mayo, the supervisor representing Eagle Rock, said she has mixed emotions about the proposal, but "if it's the only option we have, I'm willing to go with it."
Vice Chairman John Shiflett and Blue Ridge Supervisor Wendy Wingo both said they remain committed to finding a solution to the problem but still have too many questions.
"This, in my opinion, is not too good, but it may be a last resort," Shiflett said.
Wingo said she feared setting a precedent of the county paying for road projects the state won't handle, a sentiment other supervisors echoed.
Martinez, in his letter, and Putney both asserted that projects are generally continued when a new administration takes over.
"I hope this will be seen as an accomplishment that is a win-win for everybody," Putney said.
Bruce said she was excited about the idea because "it's the only positive news we've ever gotten" about the bridge. She hopes the supervisors will "do the right thing" and VDOT will "stand up to their word," but she was a bit uneasy.
"I don't trust anybody completely but my mother."
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1997by CNB