The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1958-04-29
Bridge Timetable Moved Up;
Route 400 Interstate Doomed
Study OF New
East West Line
OK'd By Dept.

Events developed rapidly last
week over the issue Of where V.r
Glnia's east-Wcst Interstate High
waS route * to run Included wee
elements with decidedly local ia
vor
In summary the highlights were
l Highway Department autho.l
zation for a study on the possibility
Of the east-west line using the
Routes 360-460 corridor through
f'arnTllle. Lynchbure and Roa
noke q doom to the Route 50
corridor boom and Valley of
Virginia mobilization for a fight 70
prevent the y S Bureau Of Pub
Ia s-approycd Route 20 Rsch-
mond 70 Stanton corridor from
being sabotaged
The new study. which Win re-
quire about SIP 900 and take about
six months. was proposed by the
Lynchburg. Roanoke and Farm
Vile Chambers Of Commerce with
backing Of similar bodies AZ other
communities along the Route 400
corridor or adjacent to i
New Route
The proposed route would parallel
Route 500 fon Richmond to Farm
vile. thence parallel Route 400
from Farnyille ID Roanoke There
il would follow Route go TO Clifton
Forge and ION Route 50 ID Tile
west
Backors Of this plan contend tac
route would serve a far greater
humble Of Industries and approx
nlately four times al mann people
H eliminates ANY overlap with
north south route as Route 80 does
Route II from Stanton to LeXing
ton It presents fewer grade d.f
ficulties and is Of far greater value
from tho standpoint Of national de7
Tense the hackers further point
Out
The Route 80 doom apparently
sounded with The report Of a private
consultant Wilbur Smith and AS
socrates that The proposed Route
$50 line would be preferable 70 a
location along Route 90 from Rich
nond through Buckingham "a Chf-
ton Forge
Engineers for tho firm t1ld 'hc
Highway Department that Tie
Route go line would be A. per cent
higher in cost titan for Route $50.
and that the northern line carries
~ pcr cent more traffic Tha con
sulunE engineers also Claimed that
the Route 10 line would b. More
vulnerable 10 attack with two ma
ior James River CROSSINGS ana
tunnel
Valley Brislcs
The Valley Of Virginia bristInc
over any change to theN Route 20
selection started immediately aftcr
the Highway Department aulho
rizcd the study Of the Route $50
460 line.
/; conferred at Wavnesboro where
the Chamber Of Commerce an
nounccd it vill organize for h fight
As to the eventual selection Of
tho Route 36o-46o line Highway Of
ficials said they were peSSmistic
over the possibility that the Bur
eau OF Public Roads would ap.
prove the new location That Bur
eau has already endorsed the Rich
nond-Waynesboro Staunton Route
20 line From thee that route
overlaps with the Route II. north
south interstate route to Lexington
for the swing west again ON Route
so.
Major objection to the Richmond
FarmVillc Roanoke line. Virginia
highway engineers say. is that it
would involve "a more miles Of con
struction than the Route $50 line.
The Farmville Chamber of Com
merce has endorsed the proposal
for Route 460 It's Roads committee
has assisted III the effort which led
late last week to the Highway Dc
partment decision to authorize the
new study. On tho committee arc
w c Fitzpatrick. j B Wall. c.
j Cox c. II Goodwin. W A Wat
son and E. L. QuiSenberry
The appeal for the new study also
pointed out that selection of the
Route $50 line was made more
than 10 years and that conditions
have changed since Ii was also
pointed out that defense require
mcntS and typographical conditions
are governing factors in the ulti
mate selection, These, they have
now commended, favor their sue
gcstion.
Mayor Fitzpatrick said today tho
proposed route is 'meritoriouSi and
certainly should be studied he
added: The intent of the law
would be better served with it's
selection especially as regards ua
tional defense major considera
ton il determining the location"