|
For
Immediate Release
December 12, 2003
OUTER CONNECTOR BELTWAY
PROJECT REJECTED BY REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
BOARD
Beltway
and Interchange Proposal would have destroyed the integrity
of Chancellorsville Battlefield
(Chancellorsville,
Va.) - Earlier this week, the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan
Planning Organization (FAMPO) voted to eliminate the controversial
Outer Connector beltway project from its long-range transportation
plan. The Coalition to Save Chancellorsville Battlefield released
the following statement after the vote:
"When
the Chancellorsville Coalition was formed in 2002, its member
groups identified the Outer Connector beltway around Fredericksburg
as one of the principal threats to the integrity of the battlefield.
At a news conference on July 31 of that year, the Coalition
announced that defeat of the Outer Connector was one of its
primary goals. On December 10, 2003, that goal was all but
achieved.
"The
Chancellorsville Coalition opposed the Outer Connector for
several reasons. If constructed, the beltway would have cut
a swath through the Mullins Farm property, the scene of fighting
on May 1, 1863. Further, a highway interchange planned for
the intersection of Route 3 (the historic Orange Turnpike)
and the Outer Connector would have placed enormous development
pressures on the battlefield. The Coalition refused to be
deceived by Outer Connector proponents who falsely portrayed
the beltway as a "parkway" that would attract little
or no additional development.
"Unlike
the Coalition's very public fight against the Dogwood Development
Group, the struggle against the Outer Connector was primarily
waged behind the scenes. The Coalition offers special thanks
to Hap Connors, Pete Fields, Tom Fortune, Bob Hagan and Scott
Howson for their leadership as part of FAMPO; and to Catherine
Farley of the Battlefields Sierra Group, who is the Coalition
leader on this issue."
"Now
that the Outer Connector beltway project is all but defeated,
the Chancellorsville Coalition hopes that landowner John Mullins
will reconsider plans to develop May 1, 1863 battlefield.
We continue to believe that a compromise deal can be reached
that both protects the land and assures Mr. Mullins a substantial
return on his investment."
The Coalition
to Save Chancellorsville Battlefield is an informal group
of 12 national and local preservation, conservation and civic
groups representing more than 600,000 members nationwide.
The coalition is dedicated to preserving and protecting Chancellorsville
battlefield. Its website is located at www.chancellorsville.org.
###
Contact:
Jim Campi of the Civil War Preservation Trust at 202-367-1861
x205.
|
