RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Laura Bullock 540-387-5493 laura.bullock@VirginiaDOT.org Cell 540-598-8405

SAL-227 May 24, 2004

VDOT receives 1,100 comments during I-81 scoping meetings

SALEM – Citizens and organizations provided 1,100 comments on Interstate 81 to the Virginia Department of Transportation during a series of meetings held along the corridor in February.

“We are very pleased with the number of comments and the variety of topics they covered,” said VDOT’s I-81 Program Manager Fred Altizer. “We have posted a summary report of the comments on our Web site for people to read at their convenience.”

More than 350 people attended the meetings, which provided an early opportunity for the public and interested state and federal agencies to participate in the I-81 Corridor Improvement Study, now under way by VDOT and the Federal Highway Administration. The study is being performed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. As part of the study, multiple opportunities for public involvement are being offered, including the February meetings.

The report of the meetings, called a Scoping Summary Report, is available at www.VirginiaDOT.org.

Comments fell into a number of broad categories, according to Chris Collins, VDOT’s I-81 study manager. “People told us about transportation problems on I-81 and gave us ideas for improvement concepts,” said Collins. “We also heard about tolling, environmental concerns, implementation of improvements, and the study process.”

Most comments received during and after the meetings came from individual citizens. A total of 21 federal, state, regional and local agencies provided input, and feedback was received from representatives of industry and interest groups as well.

An agency scoping meeting was held in Richmond in early February for federal, state and regional agencies, including Metropolitan Planning Organizations. In mid-February, seven public scoping meetings were held along the I-81 corridor in Abingdon, Wytheville, Christiansburg, Salem, Lexington, Harrisonburg and Winchester. Prior to the public scoping meetings, VDOT representatives met with local officials to brief them on the study process and offer them an opportunity for input.

Among the hundreds of comments were suggestions that safety upgrades be made to the interstate. Additional travel lanes were requested. Comments to separate trucks and passenger vehicles were received. Interest was expressed in identifying roadways that could be affected if tolls were charged on I-81.

“We can’t answer every question about I-81 today,” said Collins, “so we’re following an important process to get to the answers. The suggestions we received during the public meetings are helping us to identify the problems on I-81, and that’s the first step in our study process. We are gathering information from many sources, including the public and state and local officials. We’re also analyzing freight diversion and the effects of tolling strategies, and conducting other technical studies. Much more detailed information will be available to citizens when we are further along in the study.”

During the scoping meetings, participants could provide comments in four ways: speaking to a verbatim recorder at the meetings; writing on comment forms available at the meetings; mailing letters to the study manager following the meetings; and sending Internet E-mail to 81info@VirginiaDOT.org at any time.

The purpose of the I-81 Corridor Improvement Study is to identify deficiencies along the I-81 corridor, to develop potential solutions to address those corridor needs, and to evaluate impacts of potential solutions

The study is being performed in two parts, or tiers. Near the end of Tier 1 in mid-2005, citizens will be able to review the Environmental Impact Statement and provide additional opinions and comments during public hearings. Information from the technical studies, the EIS and public input will be available to the Commonwealth Transportation Board and FHWA so that decisions can be made about the future of I-81 in Virginia.