So far, he is staying put. Realty Co. If the state decides next year to build the road, Naff predicts that home buyers will avoid the chosen route while speculators looking for investments will buy near it. Commercial real estate investors, for similar reasons, aren't rushing to buy land along the routes. Roanoke Valley developer Steve Strauss said he'd like to own land on the shoulder of a new interstate near an intersection or other access point. But even if he knew which corridor will be chosen, however, the study maps are too general to drive a land-purchase decision, he said.
Interstate opponents say historical sites and environmental issues are their best means of defense.
Henry County residents somehow got I-73 rerouted. The endangered fish, farm land and forests are concerns that may affect the federal approval of I-73. The new plan through Henry County will also cost just a little less to build. It won't be an interstate in West Virginia. In Virginia, the section from Bluefield to Roanoke is on the back burner.