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Rural Gravel Roads: Byways not Highways
Rural Gravel Roads: Byways not Highways
By Jane Covington and Emily Houston
This spring, the Virginia Legislature passed new legislation known as the “Rural Roads Bill.” Co-sponsored by three Loudoun legislators – Del. Geary Higgins, Sen. Russet Perry, and Del. David Reid – it specifies that state funds given to counties to improve unpaved roads may be used for improvements other than paving.
While the state code had always designated funds for road improvement, prior to this bill, many of Virginia’s counties, Loudoun in particular, believed the only improvement the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) could make to an unpaved road was paving it.
Thanks to an array of successful pilot projects, VDOT has recently demonstrated there are many new ways to reduce dust, potholes and washboarding on unpaved roads.
According to the Loudoun Preservation and Conservation Coalition’s Rural Roads Committee (RRC), “VDOT has proven that it has the know-how to rehabilitate even the worst unpaved road by fixing drainage, reshaping the roadbed, and compacting newly placed gravel that has a binder mixed in to it.”
America’s Routes, a small, Virginia-based nonprofit created by preservationists and journalists has championed the legislation as part of their efforts to document, share and preserve the nearly 300 miles of unpaved roads in western Loudoun County to protect the local rural economies and lifestyles. Loudoun’s nearly 300 miles of breathtakingly picturesque unpaved roads are unique in America, a living museum worthy of protection.
Each mile is part of a national treasure that immerses travelers in the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape while allowing them to travel routes that trace the birth of our nation.
Much of the land and buildings along these roads remains as it was hundreds of years ago. Trees along these roads that once offered shade to Civil War soldiers now provide respite from the sun for runners, hikers, bikers, equestrians, dog walkers or Sunday drivers.
Preserving the gravel roads also helps protect the wildlife and ecosystems that would be negatively impacted should these roads be paved. For example, high-speed traffic kills many animals and road surface treatments contaminate the water supply and impact flora and fauna. Protection of Loudoun’s rural road network is central to its sustainability. The gravel roads provide natural traffic calming and discourage cut-through traffic. They also offer a social portal back to gentility. As Rachel Wetherkill, a mail carrier in Loudoun County said, “If paved roads are all about power and speed, gravel roads are all about cooperation and courtesy.”
Loudoun County’s Conservation Coalition Rural Road Committee (RRC)
The Loudoun County Conservation Coalition’s Rural Road Committee (RRC) is dedicated to the ‘drivability’ of its gravel roads. The RRC works with VDOT to improve materials and methods to make driving gravel roads a pleasurable, rural experience.
America’s Routes
America’s Routes is a local non-profit created to help preserve the rural economies and lifestyles of western Loudoun Country Virginia through the protection of its gravel roads. It aims to raise awareness and encourage preservation of Loudoun County Virginia’s nearly 300-mile rural road network and the historic landscape it connects, engendering enduring care and concern among residents, visitors and politicians for this unique resource, which is a treasure both for Virginia, and for the nation. To discover, experience and help protect northern Virginia’s gravel roads, visit AmericasRoutes.com.
