A few years ago Martinsville business owners and residents asked that an alternative route be discusses to better serve Patriot Centre at Beaver Creek, Martinsville industrial parks, and Martinsville Speedway.

VDOT recently unveiled a plan, according to the Martinsville Bulletin. The review doesn't state that this alternate route would be approved and used, instead it is just a picture of one possibility it's benefits and drawbacks.

Area homeowners should review the plan because it could greatly help improve traffic conditions, but some homes will have to be torn down to make it a reality.

"An alternative route for Interstate 73 proposed by the Henry County Board of Supervisors has both benefits and drawbacks, a final draft review released by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) on Friday shows.

Benefits include no commercial buildings needing to be demolished, fewer stream crossings and lesser environmental impact on wetlands. Drawbacks include more homes having to be torn down, more floodplain acreage being affected and higher costs, mostly due to more interchanges needing to be installed and having to add 1.8 miles to the highway, the review shows.

The review makes no recommendation as to whether the alternative route should be used. That will be up to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) to decide, said Heidi Underwood, VDOT’s Salem District public affairs manager.

Underwood said the CTB would have to undertake a more in-depth study if, after analyzing the final draft review, its members think the alternative route is worth pursuing. That decision would be made after comments from county officials and others interested in the project are incorporated into the draft review, she said.

The review is 'just a factual evaluation' of the alternative route compared to the route that the CTB approved for the interstate in 2004, she said.

The approved route takes I-73 through Henry County east of Martinsville with six interchanges. The alternative route puts the highway closer to the city, and it has eight interchanges, a map included in the final draft review shows.

In late 2007, at the urging of local business people, the county supervisors asked the state to consider the alternative route to better serve the Patriot Centre at Beaver Creek and Martinsville industrial parks, as well as Martinsville Speedway. They also asked for a connector road to be built from the Patriot Centre to the interstate."

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