ABINGDON - Speakers at the state's annual transportation hearing typically present a wish list identifying five or 10 projects they believe are needed in their county, city or town.
But not this year.

Limited state funding means fewer projects will be constructed, according to Virginia Transportation Secretary Whitt Clement.

Interim transportation commissioner Ray Pethtel asked speakers to identify their number one priority project. State officials need the top four or five projects for the entire Bristol district, he said Thursday, "not a dozen or two dozen as has been the case in the past."
Some speakers followed their prepared comments, running down a long list of projects. But most speakers limited their remarks to one or two top priorities - which often included the Coalfields Expressway or improvements to U.S. 58, U.S. 19 and U.S. 460.

"It looks worse than I thought it might be," Del. Joe Johnson, D-Abingdon, said of the state budget crunch and limited transportation funding. He had difficulty identifying just one transportation priority.

"The way I look at it, what's good for one county in Southwest Virginia is good for the rest of the counties," Johnson told about 80 people gathered Thursday at Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.

Duane Miller, a regional planner with the Lenowisco Planning District Commission, mentioned the Coalfields Expressway, the Moccasin Gap interchange near Gate City and continued U.S. 58 corridor improvements - including the Big Stone Gap, Pennington Gap and Jonesville bypasses.

"Those are our three critical projects," Miller said. "Duane, you've just spent all the money in the state," Pethtel joked.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board and Virginia Department of Transportation are holding public hearings across the state so the public can identify priorities related to interstates, urban and primary roads and public transit projects.

Thursday's meeting covered VDOT's Bristol district - the cities of Norton and Bristol and Wise, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, Buchanan, Bland, Grayson, Washington, Smyth and Wythe counties.

Seventy-eight people registered Thursday morning before the hearing began, VDOT Bristol district spokeswoman Brenda Waters said. Thirty people spoke during the meeting, she said Friday.
 

COALFIELDS EXPRESSWAY

Del. Jackie Stump, D-Oakwood, said the Coalfields Expressway is an important road for all Southwest Virginia, especially in counties such as Dickenson County that do not have a four-lane highway. "You gotta understand, we need roads down here just like in Northern Virginia."

The Coalfields Expressway is the top priority, said David Larimer, an aide to Sen. Phillip Puckett, D-Lebanon, who could not attend Thursday's hearing. "It is an economic development road. And, of course, it is an economic lifeline for the coalfield counties of Southwest Virginia," Larimer said.

Brian O'Quinn, a Dickenson County supervisor, and Mary McClanahan, executive director of the Buchanan County Chamber of Commerce, identified the expressway as their top priority.

"The Coalfields Expressway is our lifeline to the rest of the state," O'Quinn said. "We'd appreciate it if you can get started on it."

After the hearing, Clement said the governor supports the expressway initiative. Warner identified the road as an important project when he campaigned for governor, Clement noted.

"Mark Warner has made it crystal clear that nothing is going to happen to the Coalfields Expressway on his watch. Having said that, we can't manufacture money," Clement said.

The project must be separated into "bite-size" chunks until state revenues improve, Clement said. A "great start" would be building a five-mile segment of the expressway near Grundy and U.S. 460, he believes.

That section would improve access to Breaks Interstate Park and could eventually connect with Kentucky's portion of U.S. 460 through a planned connector road.

The state must include Coalfields Expressway funding in the six-year transportation plan before the project can proceed, Clement stressed. "We intend to do that," he said after the hearing.

OTHER PROJECTS

Kenneth Hensley, a Scott County supervisor, identified the Moccasin Gap interchange as the top priority. The Moccasin Gap interchange would help handle the tremendous flood of vehicles passing through the Gate City and Weber City area each day. U.S. 23, U.S. 58, U.S. 421, Route 71, Route 72 and Route 224 converge in the Moccasin Gap area of Scott County.

Ernest L. Whitt, a Lee County supervisor, emphasized the need for continued U.S. 58 work, especially the Pennington Gap and Jonesville bypasses. "These are vital to the Route 58 corridor improvements," he said.

Jim Gillespie, Russell County administrator, discussed several new projects and highway improvements, including

*Development of a park and ride where U.S. 58A, U.S. 19 and Route 614 meet in the Hansonville area;

*Improvements to the Route 80-Route 67 intersection in Honaker;

*Removal of curves and overhanging rocks along Route 82, or Cleveland Mountain Road; and

*The need for a safety study on Route 71 from Dickensonville to Lebanon.
 

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD

Public officials and area residents still have an opportunity to identify transportation priorities and concerns. VDOT will accept written comments until Monday, April 15.

Comments should be sent to: Daniel H. Marston, Bristol district administrator, Virginia Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 1768, Bristol, Va. 24203.

Following the public hearings across the state, VDOT will create a tentative transportation development plan, also known as the six-year transportation improvement plan. After additional public hearings, the Commonwealth Transportation Board is expected to adopt the final plan by late June.
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