But he said he opposed the highway's coming there because of its disruptions to social and ecological life. This group raised an environmental issue with the piratebush, an endangered species that grows in the western corridor. Alan Gleiner, spokesman for the Regional Impact Network, said its consultant took VDOT staff members into the corridor to see the bush, a parasite that grows on pine trees. Several years ago, Gleiner's group led a successful campaign to keep a proposed I-73 corridor from crossing Bent Mountain. If the western corridor is chosen for I-73, the route would be tweaked to avoid any harm to the piratebush, VDOT's Bullock 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.