Commonwealth Transportation Board to meet in Roanoke Oct. 30–use your voice on I-81

For hours and hours the past two weekends traffic back-ups in Botetourt have been long and arduous waits due to accidents on I-81. Traffic has filtered onto back roads like Lithia, Springwood, Narrow Passage and Timber Ridge. Rt. 11 has been overflowing all the way through the Town of Buchanan. Read on.

Bluntly. It has been a mess. The economy of not being able to get into Buchanan for business or pleasure as well as the annoyance is huge to people who live here. Not to mention the cost to county EMS and Fire Departments attending the accident scenes, is paid for mostly by us and not the trucker drivers who have caused the recent accidents (unless insurance claims are being filed we are unaware of) and of course, the safety of the first responders!

While the CTB passed millions of dollars earlier this month of impovemnts for I-81, in Botetourt County, that is still years away.

However, you can speak yor mind or send comments via email. Wed. Oct. 30 at 4 p.m.the Commonwealth Transportation Board will take questions and comments at Valley View Holiday Inn on Ordway Dr. in Roanoke and via an email from the CTB on Oct. 28:

RICHMOND, Va. – The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) invites the public to share feedback on transportation initiatives at nine meetings across Virginia this fall. Representatives from the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI), the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) will highlight transportation programs, discuss ideas and answer questions about the Commonwealth’s multimodal transportation network.

Participation is welcome by attending public meetings or submitting comments online, by email, or by mail. The public will have an opportunity to learn and share feedback about:

Adjustments to the statewide project prioritization process, known as SMART SCALE, which allocates limited funding to the most critical transportation needs. 

Virginia’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, which identifies transportation projects that will utilize federal transportation funding or require approval from federal partners.

A draft Mid-term Transportation Needs assessment for VTrans, Virginia’s statewide, multimodal transportation plan that outlines a vision and goals for transportation in the Commonwealth. The plan will identify transportation investment priorities and guides transportation agencies’ strategies and programs.
Adjustments to Virginia’s Highway Safety Improvement Program, which aims to link infrastructure improvements across highway travel modes to performance outcomes outlined in Virginia’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan.
Meeting materials will be available at http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/planning/springmeetings/default.asp beginning October 15, 2019.

The public can submit comments on transportation projects and initiatives to the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI), OIPI Deputy Director Ronique Day, 1221 E. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219 or PublicComments@OIPI.Virginia.gov. Comments accepted through November 30.

–Cathy Benson, CTB and photo by James Eubank