Virginia Scenic River Signs Go Up On Bridges
Gov. Glenn Youngkin officially proclaimed the Maury a Virginia Scenic River in 2022, signing the special designation into law following passage of the enabling legislation.
Now, thanks to Virginia Department of Transportation planning and funding, tens of thousands of people per day will learn of this natural resource that helps make Rockbridge County a travel destination and special place to live and work, said a spokesperson for the Maury River Alliance.
Right before the start of the Thanksgiving holiday week, VDOT’s fabrication and installation contractor for integrated directional signing had a crew at two Maury River crossings. One was at the Interstate 64 bridge near Beans Bottom, a few miles west of the U.S. 11 interchange and the Virginia Horse Center. The other was at the U.S. 60/East Midland Trail bridge in Buena Vista.
VDOT prioritized these two locations for their potential to support tourism, improve visitor experience, and contribute to local economic development.
The I-64 signs — one at each end of the bridge — will be seen by occupants of around 44,000 vehicles passing through per day, according to data obtained from Virginia Department of Transportation sources. The U.S. 60 signs — based on monitoring conducted about a month ago — will be seen by occupants of approximately 12,000 vehicles per day. These figures show average bidirectional traffic volume, meaning vehicles approaching from either east or west.
The Maury River Alliance spokesperson noted that the Maury Scenic River Committee, an ad hoc group of Rockbridge residents, volunteered countless hours between 2019 and 2022 to obtain support of Scenic River status for the Maury by riverfront landowners, the public, local government officials, and state legislators representing the Rockbridge area. The committee members are Jean Clark, Sam Crickenberger, David Hopkins, George Kosovic, Buster Lewis, Larry Mann, Gee McVey, John Pancake, Sandra Stuart, Spencer Suter, and Chris Wise.
The Virginia Scenic Rivers Program is administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Details can be found at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/ recreational-planning/srmain. MRA’s website is at https:// mauryriveralliance.org.
