Cut throughs jeopardize neighborhoods' safety

Dear Editor,

Your story [Apr. 2] about proposed state road standards that would require connectivity brought to mind our Bon Air neighborhood battle over this issue in the 1970s. A developer who was developing the 15 to 20 remaining lots sought to open Cowan Road to Buford Road for access to the homes he was building. Cowan was a dead end road. Extending Cowan would have made quicker access to the new homes and, we were told, a more attractive entry than from our very mixed neighborhood accessed by Jahnke Road.

Those of us who lived in the area had seen what opening Pinetta Road did to Brighton Green. Pinetta was and is a shortcut from Buford to Midlothian Turnpike. It handles heavy traffic that has long been a curse for residents since Pinetta divides Brighton Green. A very large contingent of us living between Jahnke and Buford in the neighborhood that would inevitably become a Pinetta-like shortcut from Buford to Jahnke trooped down to the Chesterfield courthouse for the hearing on the request to extend Cowan Road.

Like the residents of Nuttree described in your story, we objected quite strongly to having our neighborhood connected to other neighborhoods and Buford Road by the opening of Cowan Road. A young planner in the Chesterfield planning office grew quite impatient with us. "Roads must connect," he insisted. He appeared to be quoting from what we were sure were recent class lectures or textbooks.

"We don't want to be connected," we said. "You must be connected," he continued to insist. Fire and emergency vehicles must have access to your neighborhood.

"No they don't," we collectively said. "We'll take our chances."

We were thinking of the traffic the road would bring and the dangers to our young children who could safely ride bikes and get around the neighborhood on foot. We knew that would no longer be the case after "connectivity." The argument grew increasingly heated.

Finally, Mel Burnette, then county [administrator], stood and said, "These people don't want a road opened to Buford, and we're not going to do it to them."

We didn't put up a plaque honoring Mel Burnette, but raising the money to do so would have been no problem. Cowan Road is closed and will be as houses have now been built where the road would have cut through.

The Observer story says some are suspicious that the proposed road funding standards "are just one more way Virginia Department of Transportation [VDOT] is trying to shirk its responsibility for maintaining local roads." However, VDOT is constrained by availability of funds authorized by the Virginia General Assembly. As a transportation special session is to be held soon, voters should remind Chesterfield's state legislators that this time, unlike last year, a real transportation solution must be found.

Nancy Finch

Bon Air

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