Kaine, Warner & Good Introduce Legislation to Support Construction of Wintergreen Emergency Road

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner (both D-VA) and U.S. Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would support the construction of an emergency road for Wintergreen residents. There is currently only one road in and out of Wintergreen, which has sparked concern among Wintergreen officials and residents. The proposed road would be built near Milepost 9.6 and connect Laurel Springs Drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

“It’s critical that first responders be able to quickly get where they need to go during an emergency, but Wintergreen residents currently only have one road for entry and exit, which poses a major challenge,” said Kaine. “That’s why we’re introducing this legislation, which would enhance public safety by taking the first step in building another road for Wintergreen residents.”

“Currently there is only one road in and out of Wintergreen. This greatly hinders the ability of first responders to get into town, and impacts public safety for all residents,” said Warner. “This legislation would take the first step towards fixing this problem, making sure Wintergreen residents are not left in the lurch during serious emergency situations.”

”For too long, a National Park Service legal interpretation prevented the Wintergreen community from receiving the permission it needed to ensure the safety of its residents," said Good. "I am pleased to have worked with the Park Service and Senators Kaine and Warner on this bipartisan, bicameral effort to make the Virginians in Wintergreen safer from the threat of natural disasters. Bureaucratic precedent must never compromise the safety of Americans, so I am glad that this bill can finally remedy that."

Specifically, the bill would clarify that the Secretary of the Interior has the authority to grant a permit to build the road, as long as alternative routes that do not cross federal land have been evaluated, and environmental reviews and an analysis of expected fire behavior during an emergency are completed.

Full text of the Senate bill is available here.

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