THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 27, 1995 TAG: 9509270634
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
Traffic snarls on the southernmost stretch of Battlefield Boulevard, primarily caused by tourists bound for the Outer Banks, may not be resolved until after the turn of the century.
Before the long-awaited road improvement can get under way, Chesapeake and Virginia officials have some major hurdles to clear, such as: deciding what route the bigger, better road will take; securing permission from federal environmental agencies; buying or taking the necessary land from property owners; designing the roadway; and finding a way to pay for it.
Virginia Department of Transportation officials told an unhappy City Council Tuesday that it would probably take until at least the year 2002 to finish it all.
``Something is wrong with our system,'' responded Chesapeake City Councilman John W. Butt. ``It should be the No. 1 priority of the state to build this road and build it now.''
The push to improve South Battlefield Boulevard has been on for nearly a decade, said Mary Ann Saunders, assistant to the city manager.
Traffic jams on the 10-mile stretch of road, the main route for cars traveling from Virginia and Northern states to North Carolina, are legendary. The summerlong backups make life miserable for travelers and residents of the Great Bridge section of Chesapeake.
Saunders and state transportation officials assured City Council that some major breakthroughs have already been made.
A federal environmental study - more than five years in the making - has been drafted and is near completion, said Leo H. Rutledge Jr., an urban programs engineer for the transportation department.
The list of proposed routes for the improved highway has been narrowed to three options. One proposal would widen the existing roadway; another proposal is to construct a limited-access highway along a different route; a third is a combination of the first two.< A public hearing, a chance for citizens to comment on the remaining routes, is scheduled for October 12.
The City Council and state and federal agencies are scheduled to sign off on the choice by winter.
``Certainly we'll do everything we can to compress the schedule as much as humanly possible,'' Rutledge said.
In other business Tuesday night, the City Council voted unanimously to postpone, until October, discussion on a proposal to offer water bill rebates to residents affected over the past few months by poor city water quality. by CNB