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I-73 in VA

Started by 74/171FAN, June 04, 2009, 07:50:37 PM

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Mapmikey

The money flowing from NoVA doesn't all go to transportation.

NoVA money is why rural counties can build new schools and other non-transportation infrastructure.

Southwestern Virginia is already getting a slow long-term improvement project on the scale of I-73: US 121 and US 460.

I-73 money would be better spent doing spot upgrades to US 220 and improving the older parts of I-81.


froggie

Quote from: MazdaStriderI don't live in NoVA so I can't comment on that. I'd believe what you said, however. If more money actually flows out of NoVA, where does they go? To unnecessary projects or? All I know is that the state is broke, but how?

Keep in mind that, except for the cities and two counties, VDOT maintains all public roads in the state.  That takes a considerable amount of resources and is where a huge chunk of the transportation money goes.

If the local jurisdictions feel that I-73 is needed "for economic reasons", then perhaps they should find a way to put together the funding instead of waiting for the state to consider it.  That's what the NoVA jurisdictions do.  Fairfax County routinely puts 9-digits a year of their own money into transportation projects in the county...I believe it was $120 million this past year.  Further proof that NoVA isn't keeping VDOT money for themselves, not when they have to put their own county money in just to get things done.

One should also consider that it's Richmond that dictates where the money goes, not VDOT.  And despite demographic changes over the past couple decades, the General Assembly has gerrymandered the legislative districts so that rural areas still have a huge power block in the Assembly far out of proportion to their population.

JacobNC

Quote from: Henry on May 26, 2016, 12:02:48 PM
Talk about another state that will not build I-73 anytime soon...so this means that it will dead end at the border, like the new I-87/I-89 will?

US-17 in Chesapeake is largely being upgraded to a freeway (I'm not exactly sure about Interstate standards), so they could probably pretty easily make the new I-87 connect to Norfolk.

LM117

Quote from: MazdaStrider on May 26, 2016, 01:10:30 PM
Quote from: froggie on May 26, 2016, 12:42:46 PM
Quote from: LM117That's exactly the reason why I've been saying that unless there's a major political change on where transportation money goes in this state, I-73 will remain dead in VA. I'm not saying NoVA shouldn't get anything, but there's more to the state than just NoVA. It's basically the "I got mine, fuck you" mentality. I don't see it changing anytime soon, if ever.

(and for Strider, too)

Believe it or not, far more money flows out of NoVA than goes back into it.  NoVA is a cash cow to the rest of the state and they know it.  It took tolls and a private partnership to get improvements to 95 and the Beltway that were warranted by traffic demands two decades ago.  Most of these "business-desired Interstates" are along corridors that just don't have the traffic volume to warrant their expense.  Furthermore, if you completely gridlock Northern Virginia, the entire state economy will suffer.  Or is it that you guys just don't care?
Not that I don't care, but its just sad that parts of the state (not just VA, I am sure other states has similar issues) that gets funding while others either get a little or they don't. The I-73 link from  NC border to Roanoke is needed for economic reasons in that part of the state (even with I-77 just to the west). If traffic doesn't warrant it (I have seen PLENTY of traffic on US 220 as I drove up and down that road fairly a lot), the road still needs to be built either way, even if it is in a small segments and takes 20 years to complete.

+1
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

Strider

Quote from: LM117 on May 26, 2016, 03:26:12 PM
Quote from: MazdaStrider on May 26, 2016, 01:10:30 PM
Quote from: froggie on May 26, 2016, 12:42:46 PM
Quote from: LM117That's exactly the reason why I've been saying that unless there's a major political change on where transportation money goes in this state, I-73 will remain dead in VA. I'm not saying NoVA shouldn't get anything, but there's more to the state than just NoVA. It's basically the "I got mine, fuck you" mentality. I don't see it changing anytime soon, if ever.

(and for Strider, too)

Believe it or not, far more money flows out of NoVA than goes back into it.  NoVA is a cash cow to the rest of the state and they know it.  It took tolls and a private partnership to get improvements to 95 and the Beltway that were warranted by traffic demands two decades ago.  Most of these "business-desired Interstates" are along corridors that just don't have the traffic volume to warrant their expense.  Furthermore, if you completely gridlock Northern Virginia, the entire state economy will suffer.  Or is it that you guys just don't care?
Not that I don't care, but its just sad that parts of the state (not just VA, I am sure other states has similar issues) that gets funding while others either get a little or they don't. The I-73 link from  NC border to Roanoke is needed for economic reasons in that part of the state (even with I-77 just to the west). If traffic doesn't warrant it (I have seen PLENTY of traffic on US 220 as I drove up and down that road fairly a lot), the road still needs to be built either way, even if it is in a small segments and takes 20 years to complete.

+1


According to this page on Wikipedia about I-73:

On May 24, 2016, Ronald "Skip" Ressel Jr., president of the I-73 committee serving the Martinsville area, announced that he would not pursue building I-73 through his part of the state; however, a proposed corridor would follow the same general route, and be maintained by the Commonwealth of Virginia.[2]


Sounds like the proposed corridor that would follow the same general route, my guess is that they are making it a expressway or similar. That could be something to get them started, and then have it upgraded to interstate standards later. Does anyone know about the proposed corridor?

For now, the I-73 project is shelved.

Mapmikey

Quote from: froggie on May 26, 2016, 02:03:11 PM
Quote from: MazdaStriderI don't live in NoVA so I can't comment on that. I'd believe what you said, however. If more money actually flows out of NoVA, where does they go? To unnecessary projects or? All I know is that the state is broke, but how?

Keep in mind that, except for the cities and two counties, VDOT maintains all public roads in the state.  That takes a considerable amount of resources and is where a huge chunk of the transportation money goes.

If the local jurisdictions feel that I-73 is needed "for economic reasons", then perhaps they should find a way to put together the funding instead of waiting for the state to consider it.  That's what the NoVA jurisdictions do.  Fairfax County routinely puts 9-digits a year of their own money into transportation projects in the county...I believe it was $120 million this past year.  Further proof that NoVA isn't keeping VDOT money for themselves, not when they have to put their own county money in just to get things done.

One should also consider that it's Richmond that dictates where the money goes, not VDOT.  And despite demographic changes over the past couple decades, the General Assembly has gerrymandered the legislative districts so that rural areas still have a huge power block in the Assembly far out of proportion to their population.

In addition to this, NoVA and Hampton Roads have special Transportation Authorities that exist because the state legislature allows these regions to impose extra Sales Tax, Grantor's Tax, and Transient Occupancy Tax.  This extra tax money is viewed as a pass-through by VDOT and that money goes right back to these districts and the Authority decides what projects to use it on.  So these places get more money because they pay for it directly and specifically for transportation projects.

AlexandriaVA

These highways to nowhere have horrible ROIs comparded to projects in the urban areas. As mentioned, Nova and Hampton roads get the good projects because they actually.pay their way, rather then depend on taz receipts from other parts of the Commonwealth

WashuOtaku

Quote from: AlexandriaVA on May 26, 2016, 09:56:35 PM
These highways to nowhere have horrible ROIs comparded to projects in the urban areas. As mentioned, Nova and Hampton roads get the good projects because they actually.pay their way, rather then depend on taz receipts from other parts of the Commonwealth

I-73 would have hardly been going nowhere.  Connecting Greensboro to Roanoke would be a big boost to the trucking industry and those not wanting to take I-77.

Strider

Quote from: WashuOtaku on May 26, 2016, 11:32:40 PM
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on May 26, 2016, 09:56:35 PM
These highways to nowhere have horrible ROIs comparded to projects in the urban areas. As mentioned, Nova and Hampton roads get the good projects because they actually.pay their way, rather then depend on taz receipts from other parts of the Commonwealth

I-73 would have hardly been going nowhere.  Connecting Greensboro to Roanoke would be a big boost to the trucking industry and those not wanting to take I-77.


This. is why Roanoke is pushing for I-73 hard. they know it would be a big boost.

AlexandriaVA

There's already a freeway between the two cities. Not everything can be gold-plated. Don't know why there's such an Interstate fetish when US Highway is just as good....shaving a few minutes off a trip isn't justified in this case.

Like most rural freeways, the numbers won't ever justify construction. A single extra lane in Richmond, Hampton Roads, or NOVA would get better utilization.

LM117

Quote from: Strider on May 26, 2016, 06:49:14 PMSounds like the proposed corridor that would follow the same general route, my guess is that they are making it a expressway or similar. That could be something to get them started, and then have it upgraded to interstate standards later. Does anyone know about the proposed corridor?

It's the first I've heard of it. It seems to have come out of left field. I'm curious about it myself.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

Strider

Quote from: AlexandriaVA on May 26, 2016, 11:56:36 PM
There's already a freeway between the two cities. Not everything can be gold-plated. Don't know why there's such an Interstate fetish when US Highway is just as good....shaving a few minutes off a trip isn't justified in this case.

Like most rural freeways, the numbers won't ever justify construction. A single extra lane in Richmond, Hampton Roads, or NOVA would get better utilization.


Freeway? you mean Expressway. Between the northern termius of I-73 in Stokesdale to the end of US 220 freeway in Roanoke, the corridor is mostly expressway (except Martinsville bypass)

if the numbers won't justify construction, then explain why some states build roads that they know numbers won't ever justify it?

LM117

#137
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on May 26, 2016, 11:56:36 PMLike most rural freeways, the numbers won't ever justify construction.

If numbers were used to justify construction, half of the Interstate Highway system wouldn't exist today. Example, I-10 in areas like west Texas carries little traffic (mostly trucks), but it connects the cities along the Gulf Coast with those in the Southwest. I-10 wouldn't have been built in it's entirety if numbers justified it's construction. Same with I-80, I-70, etc. I-73 would have connected the largest city in SW VA, Roanoke, with NC's 3rd largest city, Greensboro and ended at Myrtle Beach SC, one of the most well-known and visited tourist destinations on the East Coast. Would I-73 automatically revive economically depressed areas like Martinsville? No, but it would at least put them on the map so-to-speak and then it would be up to the state and the city whether it sinks or swims. I-73 can be argued that it's a waste in West Virginia, Ohio and Michigan, but I-73 connecting Roanoke, the Triad region of NC and Myrtle Beach is far from a waste and certainly isn't a "highway to nowhere". SW Virginia (and in the grander scheme of things, Greensboro) got screwed. Simple as that.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

froggie

Quoteif the numbers won't justify construction, then explain why some states build roads that they know numbers won't ever justify it?

Political pressure.  There is also a somewhat mistaken belief that an Interstate shield will automatically bring economic salvation.  The reality is a lot more complicated than that.  You also need a skilled workforce, logistics besides transportation, and startup capital.  The banks can be very stingy with that last one, especially for small businesses.

Some towns may see "benefit" from it (and I use that term loosely given the number of tax breaks big companies tend to demand before they move), but others won't.  The net effect/benefit is usually less than the backers/promoters claim.

Thing 342

Quote from: WashuOtaku on May 26, 2016, 11:32:40 PM
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on May 26, 2016, 09:56:35 PM
These highways to nowhere have horrible ROIs comparded to projects in the urban areas. As mentioned, Nova and Hampton roads get the good projects because they actually.pay their way, rather then depend on taz receipts from other parts of the Commonwealth

I-73 would have hardly been going nowhere.  Connecting Greensboro to Roanoke would be a big boost to the trucking industry and those not wanting to take I-77.
I'm sure the people of Roanoke will very much appreciate having spent that money while they're stuck in traffic on the still 2-lane I-81, a far more important trucking corridor. If the freight industry had any interest in using the proposed corridor, they would be using it already, and US-220 would be  much busier than it currently is. There are many projects *in the area* with a much better ROI than upgrading a route that adequately serves its purpose.

wdcrft63

In the Arterial Highway System project Virginia upgraded a lot of its 2-lane roads, like US 220, by twinning them: laying down two new lanes next to the old ones. This created a statewide network of "pretty good" 4-lane roads. The question is whether "pretty good" is going to be "good enough" in the future, or whether some of these roads need to be replaced by freeways. To answer this question, I think it's not enough to look at today's traffic counts; you also have to look at where you want things to be in 20-30 years.

Grzrd

Quote from: Grzrd on May 25, 2016, 03:09:03 PM
Now we wait and see if anyone challenges Mr. Ressel's assertion.
Quote from: MazdaStrider on May 26, 2016, 01:10:30 PM
I am really curious on how they are going to deal with the money they're holding for the I-73 project ($8 million).
Quote from: LM117 on May 27, 2016, 02:17:50 AM
Quote from: Strider on May 26, 2016, 06:49:14 PMSounds like the proposed corridor that would follow the same general route, my guess is that they are making it a expressway or similar. That could be something to get them started, and then have it upgraded to interstate standards later. Does anyone know about the proposed corridor?
It's the first I've heard of it. It seems to have come out of left field. I'm curious about it myself.

A September 30 deadline to reallocate the $8.5 million in I-73 funding, or risk losing it altogether, appears to be a major force in driving the angst about the future of I-73 in Henry County. This article reports that the $8.5 million might be re-allocated to the proposed corridor, and that Jim Adams, chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, contends that building I-73 is still a high priority for the county:

Quote
The clock is ticking for Henry County officials, as they'll have to soon make a decision about continued support for Interstate 73.
Jim Adams, chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, said the board will examine their options within the next few months.
So far, the federal government has allocated about $8.5 million for I-73's stretch through the county. That is not nearly enough to design, acquire rights of way and then build the highway, said Jason Bond, communications manager for the Salem District office of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
Lisa Price Hughes, resident administrator at VDOT's local office in Bassett Forks, made a similar comment.
"It's a $4 billion project," Bond said. He predicted that due to economic constraints at the state and federal levels, "that kind of funding is going to be hard to get anytime soon."
No state funds have been allocated so far.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, signed into law by President Barack Obama in December, allows a state to repurpose earmarks for transportation projects for other projects — either new or existing - within the state and 50 miles of the original project, according to Bond. But there is a catch. For an earmark to be repurposed, that new project has to be proposed before Sept. 30, when the new fiscal year starts for the federal government.
County officials have discussed, at the least, trying to get a new highway built to connect the Patriot Center at Beaver Creek Industrial Park with U.S. 58 east of Martinsville in the Laurel Park area.
Bond said he doubts that $8.5 million is enough to design and build the connector route. But it would be a start.

To pursue repurposing the earmarked funds, the county would have to make a request to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), Bond said.
There is no guarantee that the repurposing would be approved, he said.
The $8.5 million would be exempt from scoring under a new state system being used to determine transportation projects that are funded, but any future allocations may have to be scored, he added.
Ultimately, though, "the county must make a decision as to whether it wants to continue advocating for I-73," Bond said.
If a decision is made to continue advocating for it, the interstate project in Henry County will have to score high enough to earn a place on the CTB's Six-Year Six Year Improvement Plan
, he said.
State House Bill 2, which Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed into law in 2014, directed the CTB to develop and start using by July of this year an objective scoring process for deciding which highway projects can be funded. Factors that are to be taken into account include economic development, environmental and safety issues and if a road would improve people's access to jobs and ease traffic congestion, the state website www.virginiahb2.org shows.
To have I-73 considered for scoring, an application must be submitted online between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30. After the latter date, evaluation teams will work through December to screen and score projects. They will then provide those scores to the CTB in January, the website shows.
An application can be submitted either by the county or the West Piedmont Planning District Commission, the website indicates.
If a project makes it onto the six year plan, it will receive funding, Bond said, although the federal earmarks already provided may be lost.
Yet even if a project scores high enough, "the CTB decides what projects it wants to fund," he said. The board could decide to fund a lower-scoring project instead of a higher-scoring one if it believes — despite the evaluation — that the lower-scoring one would be more beneficial than the higher-scoring one, he indicated.
Funding decisions ultimately are based on board members' opinions, he said.
"I-73, as always, remains in the hands of the Commonwealth Transportation Board," Bond emphasized. "Until the ... board decides it will be a funding priority, it will remain unfunded and not be built."

Adams, the Blackberry District representative on the Board of Supervisors, said getting I-73 built remains a high priority of the county. Referring to getting the project scored, he said "if that's what the county needs to do, that's what we will do."
Nevertheless, the board will need to discuss the county's options for pursuing construction of a new highway "within the next couple of (monthly) board meetings," Adams said.
"We need to look at any viable project and not lock ourselves into any single proposal," he said. "We need to look at what's in the best interests of all citizens."

BrianP

Quote from: wdcrft63 on May 27, 2016, 12:16:08 PMI think it's not enough to look at today's traffic counts; you also have to look at where you want things to be in 20-30 years.
Agreed but before you look to the future you need to look at what's a problem now.  That problem will also probably worsen in the future. 

Strider

Quote from: Grzrd on May 27, 2016, 12:44:12 PM
Quote from: Grzrd on May 25, 2016, 03:09:03 PM
Now we wait and see if anyone challenges Mr. Ressel's assertion.
Quote from: MazdaStrider on May 26, 2016, 01:10:30 PM
I am really curious on how they are going to deal with the money they're holding for the I-73 project ($8 million).
Quote from: LM117 on May 27, 2016, 02:17:50 AM
Quote from: Strider on May 26, 2016, 06:49:14 PMSounds like the proposed corridor that would follow the same general route, my guess is that they are making it a expressway or similar. That could be something to get them started, and then have it upgraded to interstate standards later. Does anyone know about the proposed corridor?
It's the first I've heard of it. It seems to have come out of left field. I'm curious about it myself.

A September 30 deadline to reallocate the $8.5 million in I-73 funding, or risk losing it altogether, appears to be a major force in driving the angst about the future of I-73 in Henry County. This article reports that the $8.5 million might be re-allocated to the proposed corridor, and that Jim Adams, chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, contends that building I-73 is still a high priority for the county:

Quote
The clock is ticking for Henry County officials, as they'll have to soon make a decision about continued support for Interstate 73.
Jim Adams, chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, said the board will examine their options within the next few months.
So far, the federal government has allocated about $8.5 million for I-73's stretch through the county. That is not nearly enough to design, acquire rights of way and then build the highway, said Jason Bond, communications manager for the Salem District office of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
Lisa Price Hughes, resident administrator at VDOT's local office in Bassett Forks, made a similar comment.
"It's a $4 billion project," Bond said. He predicted that due to economic constraints at the state and federal levels, "that kind of funding is going to be hard to get anytime soon."
No state funds have been allocated so far.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, signed into law by President Barack Obama in December, allows a state to repurpose earmarks for transportation projects for other projects — either new or existing - within the state and 50 miles of the original project, according to Bond. But there is a catch. For an earmark to be repurposed, that new project has to be proposed before Sept. 30, when the new fiscal year starts for the federal government.
County officials have discussed, at the least, trying to get a new highway built to connect the Patriot Center at Beaver Creek Industrial Park with U.S. 58 east of Martinsville in the Laurel Park area.
Bond said he doubts that $8.5 million is enough to design and build the connector route. But it would be a start.

To pursue repurposing the earmarked funds, the county would have to make a request to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), Bond said.
There is no guarantee that the repurposing would be approved, he said.
The $8.5 million would be exempt from scoring under a new state system being used to determine transportation projects that are funded, but any future allocations may have to be scored, he added.
Ultimately, though, "the county must make a decision as to whether it wants to continue advocating for I-73," Bond said.
If a decision is made to continue advocating for it, the interstate project in Henry County will have to score high enough to earn a place on the CTB's Six-Year Six Year Improvement Plan
, he said.
State House Bill 2, which Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed into law in 2014, directed the CTB to develop and start using by July of this year an objective scoring process for deciding which highway projects can be funded. Factors that are to be taken into account include economic development, environmental and safety issues and if a road would improve people's access to jobs and ease traffic congestion, the state website www.virginiahb2.org shows.
To have I-73 considered for scoring, an application must be submitted online between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30. After the latter date, evaluation teams will work through December to screen and score projects. They will then provide those scores to the CTB in January, the website shows.
An application can be submitted either by the county or the West Piedmont Planning District Commission, the website indicates.
If a project makes it onto the six year plan, it will receive funding, Bond said, although the federal earmarks already provided may be lost.
Yet even if a project scores high enough, "the CTB decides what projects it wants to fund," he said. The board could decide to fund a lower-scoring project instead of a higher-scoring one if it believes — despite the evaluation — that the lower-scoring one would be more beneficial than the higher-scoring one, he indicated.
Funding decisions ultimately are based on board members' opinions, he said.
"I-73, as always, remains in the hands of the Commonwealth Transportation Board," Bond emphasized. "Until the ... board decides it will be a funding priority, it will remain unfunded and not be built."

Adams, the Blackberry District representative on the Board of Supervisors, said getting I-73 built remains a high priority of the county. Referring to getting the project scored, he said "if that's what the county needs to do, that's what we will do."
Nevertheless, the board will need to discuss the county's options for pursuing construction of a new highway "within the next couple of (monthly) board meetings," Adams said.
"We need to look at any viable project and not lock ourselves into any single proposal," he said. "We need to look at what's in the best interests of all citizens."


I suspect that they may want to try to build a expressway on the proposed route of I-73 and then upgrade it to interstate standards later down the road (they obviously want to get it started). My question is.. where will they start doing that?

Mapmikey

There is also this out there:  General Assembly is working on (has passed the 3rd reading in the Senate and the House is continuing it to the 2017 session) a bill to establish the Interstate 73 Corridor Development Fund and Program (SB 197) - https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+sum+SB197

The bill itself - https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+SB197S1 - commits $40M/yr to this, contingent on the U.S. Route 58 Corridor Development Program being paid in full.  The money can go to any type of highway as long as it is in the general I-73 corridor area.

So this might not lead to I-73 per se, but it does attempt to address the economic factors behind why some want I-73 built.  The bill seems to recognize that an interstate isn't necessarily the only solution.

It also appears to me that the Henry County Board has considerable power over whether I-73 has a future or not and it appears they are killing it at this point in time.  That might be because it is taking a long, slow path to get anywhere with it, but it is nonetheless with Henry County that the current endgame is being enacted.  VDOT has been slow on it, but they have certainly been doing stuff with it all along - http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/i73/i73-about.asp

As for truck traffic, the 2015 traffic data is out and it shows truck traffic at 12% in the Martinsville area; 10% up through Franklin County; 4% on I-581 (in raw numbers these work out to about 1200-2000 in Martinsville, 1500-2500 up through Franklin County, and about 3000 AADT trucks on I-581).

Compare that to I-81 which is 21% in the Roanoke area (12,000 AADT trucks ballpark); 30% or more from Exit 150 to Staunton (though only about 7k AADT).  I-77 has 25-30% trucks which works out to AADTs of 5-6k.

Strider





The reason for I-73 in Virginia has nothing to do with AADT. It has something to do with connecting three cities (Greensboro, Martinsville and Roanoke) for economic boost. They are preparing for the future, which makes sense. They see economic benefits when a interstate serves them.

There are interstate routes that is already built but carries way a few AADT than this one. Me, for one, support it because of economic boost and benefits. It will also provide a direct link to I-81 in Roanoke so trucks doesn't have to travel all the way to I-77 while reducing heavy truck traffic on I-77 between NC border and I-81.

If they choose to build an expressway on the proposed path, this would be a good start. Follow the baby steps to a success.
[/quote]

Mapmikey

The current way I-73 was coming along suggests the future is what was being contemplated...

Has anyone done any studies to show that slapping up an interstate shield or building a new one altogether actually brings industry jobs faster than was going to happen without one?  And if so, how long does that take?  Plenty of long empty stretches of interstate that are 40+ years old in the Southeast...

Don't see why a new expressway would materially be different from an improved US 220...

Also a little fuzzy on why it is necessary to connect these 3 cities this way. 

AlexandriaVA

Because people confuse correlation with causation. Just because an Interstate is near economic activity doesn't mean that it necessarily caused it.

wdcrft63

Quote from: Mapmikey on May 27, 2016, 10:00:39 PM
The current way I-73 was coming along suggests the future is what was being contemplated...

Has anyone done any studies to show that slapping up an interstate shield or building a new one altogether actually brings industry jobs faster than was going to happen without one?  And if so, how long does that take?  Plenty of long empty stretches of interstate that are 40+ years old in the Southeast...

Don't see why a new expressway would materially be different from an improved US 220...

Also a little fuzzy on why it is necessary to connect these 3 cities this way.

Short answer: no. Building an interstate highway doesn't, by itself, bring jobs or industry. I think things sort of work the other way round. If you're working to develop an area economically, you have to make a case that exciting things are happening in your town, and that includes developing its infrastructure: roads, rail connections, airports, sewer systems, all kinds of necessary stuff. So a freeway doesn't bring jobs, but it may play an important role in creating the context in which it's possible for you to bring jobs.

I don't know, because I don't know this area very well: maybe improving 220 would work just as well as building I-73. But for sure NC's development of I-73 is a gift to Martinsville and maybe to Roanoke; it means this north-south corridor is going to be more important than it was before. What's the best way to capitalize on that?

Strider

#149
Quote from: Mapmikey on May 27, 2016, 10:00:39 PM
The current way I-73 was coming along suggests the future is what was being contemplated...

Has anyone done any studies to show that slapping up an interstate shield or building a new one altogether actually brings industry jobs faster than was going to happen without one?  And if so, how long does that take?  Plenty of long empty stretches of interstate that are 40+ years old in the Southeast...

Don't see why a new expressway would materially be different from an improved US 220...

Also a little fuzzy on why it is necessary to connect these 3 cities this way.


Because they voted to build a road on a new location. I don't agree with the location they choose, but they wanted it to happen, and I see their point. Maybe you don't.

Post Merge: May 28, 2016, 05:54:52 AM

There you go:

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/opinion/virginia-senator-i--effort-alive-in-region/article_0469865e-2442-11e6-9261-7f31c381fab8.html

Merged posts as they were practically one right after the other.   -Mark



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