Patsy Napier, the project manager for VDOT, said the staff wanted to make sure federal permits for construction can be obtained before it recommends a route. In the meantime, VDOT continues to study environmental issues involving Smith Mountain Lake, sites that may contain hazardous materials, and the historic aspects of communities that trace their roots to the early days of Roanoke and Western Virginia. The upper arm of Smith Mountain Lake was one of those topics. VDOT officials say they examined concerns raised by a resident at a public hearing in December, and they're now convinced that the easternmost I-73 corridor in Bedford County would not be stopped at the lake by environmental concerns. Dr. Linda Nelson, whose house near Hardy is identified as lakefront property on Bedford County real estate maps, said the corridor near there would invade a public recreation area by crossing the lake.
Federal requirements call for a lengthy scientific study when public recreation is affected.
VDOT officials at first said the lake wasn't a public body of water, but abandoned that defense. They've adopted a position taken by the Federal Highway Administration, which said Smith Mountain Lake is a multiuse resource and its primary purpose is generating electricity. Recreation is a secondary use, the agency said, meaning a detailed study of the lake's 500-mile shoreline isn't required. The lake issue highlighted a contradiction within an environmental impact statement released by VDOT in November. Paul Johnson of VDOT's Salem office said the phrase referred to problems that might be hard to overcome.