September 23, 2014
Mariah Timms
News Writer
Virginia News
A joint study by the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released Monday has supported the March decision of Gov. McAuliffe to halt the work on the new Virginia highway. The study reports that the construction of the highway would cost $1.8 billion and destroy 600 acres of wetlands, which is much larger than original estimates stating the cost at $1.4 billion and 480 acres. State Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne predicted Monday that improvements will be made to existing roads instead of completing the new thoroughfare. According to the report, the cost of these repairs is about half the price of the new construction, estimated to cost $979 million and 91 acres of wetlands.
