According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, I-73 will pave about 2,000 acres of cultivated fields and up to 5,000 acres of woodland. This massive impact is tiny compared to the indirect impact on forestry and agriculture. For every acre paved, many more will be lost to inevitable development as truck stops and motels spread from interchanges. Farms far from exits will suffer, as losing just a few acres to a road fragments fields. Scores of houses will follow any road into farmland, compounding the problem.
Local farms provide much more than food.
Saving farmland saves scenic views, wildlife habitat and an essential element of our economy. Farms keep taxes low, as they demand few public services. When we lose farmland, we lose our identity and everybody suffers. Such destruction must be avoided when alternatives exist. VDOT will encourage the CTB to approve its decision.