| Trucks
and tolls on Interstate 81
by
Paula C. Squires
Virginia
Business
October 2003
Anyone who drives Interstate 81 in Virginia knows the
uneasy feeling. You’re barreling down a steep mountainous
incline boxed in by massive trucks. If one of those
double-trailer monsters loses its brakes, a car doesn’t
have much of a chance. It’s a risky proposition,
cars traveling side by side with the increased truck
traffic that relies on this 325-mile corridor to move
goods. In fact, many companies in the Shenandoah Valley
and Southwest Virginia located to those areas so they
could be near the interstate. And these businesses are
vital to the state’s economy. So how can Virginia
fix the problem?
That’s
the subject of this month’s cover story. Two private
sector groups have proposed widening I-81, and both
plans call for tolls. Those are fighting words for a
trucking industry that’s willing to shoulder some,
but not all, of the multibillion costs of adding additional
lanes. Throw in a state government strapped for funds,
an anti-tax legislature, groups worried about damaging
the scenic beauty of a road that cuts through Virginia’s
beautiful Shenandoah Valley, and the ingredients are
in place for one tough road test.
When
it comes to road building, few companies are as involved
in Virginia as Goochland-based Luck Stone Corp. We profile
this family-run operation, which has evolved into one
of the largest private crushed stone producers in the
country. Roads, though, aren’t the only things
being built in Virginia. Two new regional malls opened
in Richmond last month. Short write-ups about these
and other projects appear in our annual round up of
the largest construction projects around the state.
None of them are found on the isolated Eastern Shore,
the area we focus on in this month’s regional report.
Until recently, development largely bypassed Virginia’s
fragile two-county peninsula, but now its tranquil lifestyle
is drawing interest as a resort and retirement haven.
October
also brings Virginia Business’ annual look at CEO
pay. Not surprisingly, with all the corporate scandals,
boards are getting stingier with pay increases. Still,
as our list of Virginia’s 100 top-paid executives
shows, plenty of CEOs are well rewarded. As for the
little guy, a union battle helped win wage increases
for unionized workers at Verizon. Martinsville-based
freelance writer John Peters used the recent contract
negotiations as a jumping off point to analyze the state
of the union in Virginia, a right-to-work state.
Speaking
of work, October gives us all an excuse to slow down
and enjoy the cooler temperatures and fall foliage.
If you travel on I-81 to glimpse the changing leaves,
don’t forget to buckle up.
Paula
C. Squires
Managing Editor
psquires@va-business.com
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