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Residents urge paving of Firehouse Road; VDOT right‑of‑way and eminent‑domain issues cited
Summary
Multiple residents told the Floyd County Board of Supervisors that Firehouse Road is unsafe and needs paving; VDOT representatives and supervisors said right‑of‑way and stormwater/condemnation complications have so far prevented completion of the work.
Several residents from the Indian Valley and Little River districts urged the Board of Supervisors on May 27 to prioritize paving and repairs on Firehouse Road, describing deep potholes, narrow lanes and safety risks for school buses, emergency vehicles and residents.
"It is very unsafe," said Doris Bolt, reading notes from a neighbor. She described a one‑mile dirt section that is effectively a single‑lane path used daily by school buses, trucks and trailers. "This 1 mile section ... is basically a 1 lane road with school buses, trucks, and cattle trailers," Bolt said.
Other speakers described personal experiences. Greg Lilly said his wife rode in an EMS vehicle over the road with a broken vertebra and "she was in pain the entire trip." Valerie Ryder said the roadside potholes and narrow sections make accidents likely and asked the board to pursue a freestanding emergency room and improved access.
Board members and staff responded that the road has appeared on VDOT’s six‑year plan repeatedly but that VDOT concluded it was not feasible to complete paving because engineers could not secure the required right‑of‑way from all landowners and the project would require large-scale eminent‑domain takings and stormwater work. "VDOT decided that it was not feasible for them to finish paving Firehouse," a supervisor told the speakers, noting that the item remains on VDOT’s plan and could be reconsidered if property ownership or consenting landowners change.
The board said staff will provide copies of the county’s rural/rustic road plan and the most recent six‑year plan and encouraged residents to attend the next district VDOT meeting where the agency’s local representative, David Clark, will be present. The board also said routine maintenance and targeted resurfacing have been performed on other county roads but stressed that full paving requires right‑of‑way agreements or successful landowner negotiations.
Residents requested a county site visit; supervisors said they would follow up with VDOT and provide meeting materials to the residents.
