RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Laura Bullock 540-387-5493 saleminfo@VirginiaDOT.org

SAL-13 July 15, 2004

TRANSPORTATION BOARD VOTES TO RE-ROUTE I-73

The location of a 12-mile section of the Interstate 73 corridor through Roanoke, Roanoke County and northern Franklin County was changed today (July 15) following action by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Members of the board voted unanimously to alter the route to avoid a neighborhood in southeast Roanoke that has been determined to be eligible for historic designation.

The new routing for I-73 begins at Elm Avenue in Roanoke and continues south along existing Route 220 into the Clearbrook area of Roanoke County. The route then veers southeast of Buck Mountain along Route 657 into Franklin County, where it rejoins the original corridor. No other section of the 70-mile corridor is affected by the change.

By Virginia law, members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board decide where new roads will be located. The original I-73 location was approved by the board in June of 2001 following intensive environmental review. More than a year after the location was selected, in November 2002, the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places determined that the “Southeast Roanoke Neighborhood” in Roanoke was eligible for historic designation. As a result, the Federal Highway Administration informed the Virginia Department of Transportation that another section of I-73 through Roanoke must be chosen to avoid the neighborhood. Federal regulations prohibit the development of federally funded projects through historic sites if other feasible alternatives exist.

Federal historic designation of the neighborhood came after a Draft Environmental Impact Statement was completed by VDOT for FHWA as part of the I-73 Location Study. The DEIS documented historic sites and cultural resources throughout the I-73 corridor. At the time, officials with Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources, FHWA and VDOT did not consider the Roanoke neighborhood historically significant. A local group challenged the opinion, and the issue was presented to the Keeper of the National Register for a final determination.

Citizens were informed of the proposed change and encouraged to comment on it during two public meetings hosted by VDOT June 1-2. A total of 322 people attended the meetings, and 144 comments were made. Nearly all who submitted comments said that the meetings did address why VDOT was required to change the I-73 route; approximately 86% said that the federal law regarding historic designation was explained to them during the meetings.

The next step in VDOT’s I-73 Location Study is to complete the Final Environmental Impact Statement on the selected location and forward it to FHWA for approval. FHWA then will issue a Record of Decision (ROD). Once a ROD is issued, and if funds are available, design of construction plans can begin.


Map of I-73 New Location