Government listens to Craig girl’s suggestion
By Christian Moody
From the Wednesday, September 14, 1994 edition of The New Castle Record
Red Rock Curve is one of those natural hazards a rural, mountainous county is going to have amid the miles of winding roads. But Amanda Cantrell saw no reason why people should be hurt-or worse yet, die- because of the necessary sharp turn in Virginia 311 about four miles north of New Castle.
After a wreck last year caused serious injuries, Amanda decided to do something about it. She wanted action.
The government may not work in all cases for all people, but for Amanda, 13, writing to her representatives achieved the action she wanted. A guard rail will be placed along side 311 through the curve. Maybe it will save a life. If it does, the fortunate person has Amanda to thank.
Upon deciding to seek action to get a guard rail, Amanda went to the Craig County courthouse and acquired addresses for state legislators and Representative Rick Boucher. She wrote to Boucher and State Sen. Virgil Goode.
They not only wrote back with a typical “thank you for writing us with your concerns” letter, but also forwarded her letters to employees of the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Boucher sent her a copy of the letter he forwarded to Jeff Echols, an engineer with VDOT, as did Goode.
In a response, also forwarded to Amanda, Echols says: “The area indicated in miss Cantrell’s letter has been reviewed by VDOT and does qualify for installation of guardrail. Currently a contract for guardrail work is under advertisement fir bids and the bids will be reviewed shortly. Upon the successful award of this contract, we will add this location on 311 to the work to be done.”
In short, it’s going to happen. Although it will likely be sometime next year before the guardrail is in place, Amanda said she’s happy just knowing it’s going to be placed by the road. She said she will feel a certain pride and joy when it’s finally there, protecting motorists from the giant boulder which rests by the curve.
In 1991, a speeding car with four young adults from Roanoke hit the boulder at a very high rate of speed. The car burst into flames and all four died. Could a guardrail have saved their lives in a crash that severe? Impossible to say for sure, although it would still have been a devastating collision. But for accidents at lower speed, such as happened early this year when the brakes failed on an automobile, a guardrail, in the best-case scenario, would not be hit straight on and could slow a vehicle more gradually, rather than cause a jarring damaging collision.
When Amanda learned that her suggestion had been heeded and VDOT would place a guardrail on 311, she said she was ecstatic.
“I was jumping up and down,” she said. “When I found out something was going to be done, I was very happy. I said, ‘I knew it. I knew it.’ I had really gotten into it.”
Government does work in some cases. Amanda saw that. She said when Rick Boucher comes to town the next time he schedules a town meeting, she might go talk to him.
“I might; I don’t know yet,” she said.
-Prepared by Shelly Koon
