Looking back: Bypass objections
Published 10:27 am Friday, July 25, 2014
by Clyde Parker
EDITOR’S NOTE: Looking Back features past articles from The Tidewater News with commentary by local historian Clyde Parker.
July 25, 1964
Two highway matters faced the Franklin City Council on Monday night: an objection to a proposed bypass starting at Lee Street and a State request to widen U. S. Route 258 starting from its intersection with U. S. Route 58 just east of Franklin — to Walters.
The widening of U. S. Route 258, in Isle of Wight County, is a concern of the Franklin City Council due to the fact that the City-owned Franklin Municipal Airport, on its eastern boundary, borders U. S. 258. Some of the airport land could be impacted by the widened highway.
Miss Gertrude Williams, who resides in a home located at the northwestern corner of Lee Street and North High Street in Franklin, has strong objections to the proposed by-pass. Her objections are understandable; the proposed route would go right in front of her house and probably take in some of her front yard. Miss Williams said “if a bypass is built it should be before the entrance to the City”. “If one is built along Lee Street,” she said, “another would have to be built farther out in five or ten years.”
The proposed route for the bypass, coming from the west, would be along the present Clay Street (a segment of U. S. Route 58) to its intersection with Lee Street and then along Lee Street to North High Street at which point Lee Street would be extended across North High Street; a new section of the roadway would be built, crossing over various private properties. The roadway would then go over the Norfolk, Franklin and Danville Railway and the Blackwater River and across a section of the Franklin Municipal Airport property, ultimately connecting with U. S. Route 58 near where it intersects with U. S. Route 258 just east of Franklin. Paul Lowe’s store sits right at that intersection.
Consensus following a recent survey of citizens is that a by-pass around downtown Franklin is necessary; that is where most retail businesses are located. To some, the congestion is unbearable. In addition, they point out, Union Bag-Camp Paper Corp. traffic adds to the congestion problem. Through-traffic needs to be diverted away from downtown Franklin. However, some people say they can tolerate the traffic flow if it means more business. As one person put it “heavy traffic flow can be a plus for some businesses.
As it stands now, U. S. Route 58 traffic, from the west, goes right through Franklin. It starts with West Clay Street and goes all the way to the foot of Clay Street where it intersects with Fourth Avenue. A left turn there carries traffic down Fourth Avenue and across North Main Street to Mechanic Street. A right turn on Mechanic carries vehicles to the stop light at its intersection with East Second Avenue. A left turn at the stop light exits traffic out of Franklin across the Blackwater River Bridge, through the Union Bag-Camp Paper complex. Traffic is then directed along an open highway, going through Carrsville and other points east.
Truck traffic, tourist traffic, and all other kinds of traffic funnel into and through Franklin’s residential and business streets, definitely causing a lot of problems and challenges for this small city.
FRANKLIN CHAMBER NOTES PROGRESS
The Franklin Chamber of Commerce is on the move. Paul Councill and Robert Vaughan are heading up a movement to obtain the term “Southampton” as a trademark and marketing label in sale of county hams and various peanut products.
The fifth annual Virginia Market Hog Show and Sale is scheduled for August 5th and 6th at Courtland. Chairman is Clifford Cutchins III with assistants J. H. Scott, L. E. Edwards, J. P. Bradshaw, Lee White and Herman Eley.
William Camp (Sr.) of Franklin is chairman of a committee to study the idea of bringing sugar beet production to Southampton County.
Hunter Darden, Jr. is vice president of the Chamber Agricultural Division.
Franklin dentist Dr. Robert T. Edwards is Chairman of the Chamber Economic Education Committee. Others on the committee are Dr. Edward Brickell, Franklin School Superintendent; Dr. Ernest Gatten, Jr., Optometrist; Starr Beaton, Chevrolet Dealer; and Henry James and Asa Johnson of the Industrial and Community Relations Division at Union Bag-Camp Paper Corp..
Chamber Vice President James Piette of Union Bag-Camp is heading up a committee that is working on getting the Baptist Home Retirement Center to relocate to Franklin.
CLYDE PARKER is a retired human resources manager for the former Franklin Equipment Co. and a member of the Southampton County Historical Society. His email address is cpjeep99@yahoo.com