Virginia Department of Transportation
Studies Possible New Interstate Highway

A new interstate highway (1-73), proposed as part of the National Highway Designation Act of 1995, would connect the industrial midwest north of Detroit with the South Carolina coast. A portion of the road could run through southwestern Virginia, connecting the high-tech bases of the Roanoke and New River valleys with those of North Carolina.

Currently, a team of engineers and other employees with the Virginia Department of Transportation is conduct­ing a location study for I-73 between the Roanoke Valley and North Caro­lina. The process will take three years and five phases to complete (see figure). Because of the ramifications of a possible new interstate to the citizens of the region, VDOT has launched an extensive  campaign for public input and two-way communication during this study  period. The campaign includes many avenues for public participation.

Nine public meetings were held in 1998, and more than 50 presentations about the specifics of the study have been given to organizations and community groups since the late summer, reaching more than 6,000 citizens. A free newsletter, "Future 73," has been established, and so far two issues have been mailed to nearly 10,000 individuals; each newsletter contains a comment sheet for citizens to record their suggestions and mail back to VDOT. Also, a toll-free information phone line has been in operation for more than eighteen months (1-888-173-VDOT) and has registered some 2,000 requests for additional information and feed-back on the study. A media campaign is underway, too, including appearances by VDOT study team members on cable television programs throughout the region. The pro­grams have featured questions from callers with direct answers from VDOT staff.

More than 775 written comments have been received from the public. Those comments were used by the VDOT study team to focus the location study on three alterna­tives, which now are being studied very closely for environmental impact. The alternatives are "new interstate" (which includes a variety of options)," "no-build" and "transportation system management (improvements to Route 220). With advice from engineers and feedback from the public, the 16-member Commonwealth Transportation Board will choose the alternative for I-73 in Virginia later this fall.

VDOT continues to respond to input from the public and will hold official public hearings in late spring or early summer of 1999 for citizens to see and comment on results of environmental studies on each alternative. In the meantime, VDOT encourages citizens to get involved and get the facts about the I-73 Location Study. An Internet site has been created as another means of two-way communication on this important study:

Contact:
Laura Bullock
Salem District, Virginia Department of Transportation