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supported the project since at least 1974 and that the five-county Rappahannock-Rapidan Planning District Commission has likewise unanimously endorsed the dual-laning between Washington and Sperryville.
He also noted that the final allocation of funds for the work by the Virginia Transportation Commission came only after public hearings held throughout the state both this year and last. “They discussed this thing in detail . . . This road is part of the U.S. arterial highway system and has been on the books since 1960.”
As to the contention that the dual-laning will only move the safety hazards down four miles to a bottleneck where the road narrows again, “it might be that we’ll have to bypass Sperryville, but the highway department has the data for that,” Col. Luke said, adding that engineering work and plans for a bypass of the village were done in 1960.
Research such as Mr. White wants is something “this county can’t handle,” said Col. Luke. Studies can’t focus just on Rappahannock but must take into account development and the concurrent traffic being generated in the more rapidly growing adjoining localities, he said. “There’s a fire burning around the edges of Rappahannock County and it jumps over the line every once in a while.”
He reported that Sperryville now has 60 businesses located between Piney Run and the Swindlers’ Country Manor Gift Shop at Shenandoah National Park’s edge. “Those businesses attract people.”
In addition, Col. Luke noted that $450,000 has already been spent just on “pre-engineering” for the highway project which has been recommended by the Transportation Commission and approved by Gov.
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