Take the interstate, while it’s being offered.

Posted on December 16, 2008

hiway.jpgBefore Eisenhower got the interstate highway system rolling, the United States were not that united. Imagine driving from here to California on a road like Route 11. Less than 50 years ago, that was the only option. Today, if a city isn’t linked to larger metropolitan areas by interstates, it really is off the beaten path. And, if a city is off the beaten path, it’s at a distinct economic disadvantage.

Back in the day, the same held true for the railroad. If the railroad had never come through this area, a small few of us would be living in a little place called Big Lick. In fact, Roanoke was an original railroad boomtown. We don’t necessarily think in terms of interstate boomtowns. But, there are cities all over America that would not exist as they do today if they weren’t near an interstate exit.

As Roanoke became less of a railroad town, I-81 took the rail’s place. Today, a substantial percentage of our local economy depends on the distribution and freight industries that run on that interstate. Unlike larger cities that have multiple interstates feeding into an interstate beltline, Roanoke’s I-581 operates like one long off ramp that runs right through the middle of the city. Unfortunately, no matter which direction you drive out of town on an interstate, you don’t hit a major metropolitan area for about three hours.

Well, that could all change sooner than we thought. We’ve all now heard the term “shovel-ready.” Obama’s new New Deal, is promising to fund these types of public works projects as soon as he can get another injection of cash pushed through Congress. That could mean new investments in everything from high-speed rail to hybrid fuel cells. But one thing it’s always meant is more spending on highways and bridges, which we affectionately call our crumbling infrastructure.

It’s not wishful thinking to hope that some of that money will land in our valley. If you look at the Federal Highway Administration’s top five priorities for interstate development, two of those new interstates run right through Roanoke. If you recall, a lot of people in Southwest County were trying to dodge the route when planners debated the point several years ago. Now, Interstate 73, which will essentially follow Route 220 to the North Carolina Triad, is fifth in line for construction. At number two on the list is an East-West Transnational Corridor that connects Hampton Roads on the east to San Diego on the west.

Before the green contingent among us gets too upset, let’s consider the economic impact. Or better yet, let’s imagine that Roanoke rises up and tells the Federal Government that we will have none of it. After all, they could just as well run 73 up through Lynchburg. And, they could run that awful East-West road along Highway 58 to help out Southside. Where would that leave us? Pretty much right where we are right now, only more economically depressed.

However, if we drag ourselves kicking and screaming into this 21st century and ponder the possibilities, we can quickly conclude that no other city in the United States would benefit as much as ours from these new interstates. The boom would arise from three major sources: tourism, service businesses and freight. So, let’s briefly look at each one of those economic drivers and try to find it in our hearts to embrace change.

We can say with a fair degree of confidence that Roanoke is not a tourist destination. It is certainly a pass-through destination. But, it’s not on many families’ top ten list for summer vacation. Even for hikers on the Appalachian Trail and caravans on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Roanoke is a stop-off on the way to other scenic wonders. However, if we combine those two great pathways through the Great Valley with an interstate that connects to the old Route 66, Roanoke really does become an American crossroads. Add to that Interstate 73, which will end up in Myrtle Beach, and you’ve got a whole other stream of Yankee tourists passing through on their way to the Grand Strand. Now, if we had some passenger rail, we’d really be cooking.

If you think about all of the service businesses that pop up along interstate highways, it may not conjure up visions of scenic beauty. But, neither are hotels, restaurants and retail stores the bane of our existence. The additional tax base that these businesses bring allows cities and counties along the interstates to fund better education, more attractive amenities and raise the standard of living. Best of all, the money isn’t coming out of our own pockets. It’s being passed along as people pass through.

Then there’s transportation. We probably all agree that more interstates jammed with 18-wheelers is not what we want. However, with intermodal hubs like the one being built in Elliston, we can identify outlying areas where we can transfer freight from truck to rail. These new interstates will connect Roanoke directly to the ports in Norfolk and manufacturers from Michigan to South Carolina. The firm that conducted the feasibility study for I-73 concluded that the corridor would support a major new distribution center and would attract new manufacturers from a range of industries.

If government spending kicks in this year and these projects get accelerated from their anticipated start dates of 2012, the last thing we need to do is shuffle our feet and wring our hands. If we do, our kids will look back twenty years from now and ask, “What were they thinking?” There’s a balance we can strike between conservation and development. But when the government wants to funnel a few billion tax dollars our way to link us more directly with the rest of America, we shouldn’t look that gift horse in the mouth.

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