RELEASE: CONTACT:

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

SAL-215 May 7, 2004

VDOT SCHEDULES PUBLIC MEETINGS ON PROPOSED I-73 CORRIDOR CHANGE

Two public information meetings about the proposed change to a 12-mile section of the Interstate 73 corridor in the Roanoke area will be held June 1-2 by the Virginia Department of Transportation. Interested citizens may attend from 4-7 p.m. at their convenience at the following locations:

Tuesday, June 1, 2004
Holiday Inn, Tanglewood
4468 Starkey Road, Roanoke

Wednesday, June 2, 2004
Clarion Hotel, Airport
3315 Ordway Dr., Roanoke

A section of the existing I-73 corridor in southeast Roanoke, Roanoke County and northern Franklin County must be changed to avoid a neighborhood in Roanoke that has been determined to be historic. No other portion of the 70-mile I-73 corridor selected by the Commonwealth Transportation Board in June of 2001 is affected by the change.

The option being considered for re-routing I-73 through Roanoke and Roanoke County is using existing Route 220 from Elm Avenue continuing south into the Clearbrook area of Roanoke County and then veering southeast of Buck Mountain along Route 657 (Crowell Gap Road) into Franklin County where it would rejoin the original corridor. This route was presented to the public for review as an alternative during the I-73 public hearings held by VDOT in December 2000.

The reason that the change must be considered is that the “Keeper” of the National Register of Historic Places of the U.S. Department of the Interior determined that the “Southeast Roanoke Neighborhood” is eligible for designation as an historic district. As a result, the Federal Highway Administration informed the Virginia Department of Transportation that another section of the I-73 route through Roanoke must be chosen to avoid the neighborhood. Federal regulations prohibit the development of federally funded transportation projects through National Register-eligible historic sites if other feasible alternatives exist.

The district is bordered by Elm Avenue to the north and the old American Viscose plant to the south. From its most western limit, near the old Heironimus warehouse on Albemarle Avenue, it extends east to 9th Street, Penmar Avenue, the middle of the 1300 block of Pechin Avenue, and the middle of the 1100 blocks of Morehead and Morgan avenues.

During the information meetings, citizens may review maps, environmental data and other displays about the proposed change. VDOT representatives will be available to answer questions. Participants may make comments about the change by filling out comment sheets or speaking to a verbatim recorder. Comments also will be accepted at saleminfo@VirginiaDOT.org.

Later this summer, VDOT expects to present the proposed change to the Commonwealth Transportation Board for a decision. The CTB is a panel of citizens selected by the Governor that acts as a board of directors for transportation agencies. CTB responsibilities include choosing where new roads will be located in Virginia.

Following board action, a Final Environmental Impact Statement for I-73 will be completed and forwarded to FHWA for its approval. FHWA then will issue a Record of Decision (ROD). Once a ROD is issued and funds become available, the project can move into the design stage.

The federal historic designation of the southeast Roanoke 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 group of citizens, Virginians for Appropriate Roads, challenged the opinion, and the issue was presented to the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places for a final determination.