The ill-conceived loop road once proposed through the farmland around Harrisonburg would have impacted many areas of Rockingham County, but perhaps none quite so much as the village of Keezletown. For Keezletown, the road proposal was an existential crisis. A four-lane divided road would have dismantled the village, which has a history as long and as rich as that of Harrisonburg.
Just like in many of our rural Valley communities, farm equipment is yet another slow-moving user of our rural roads. (photo credits: Sandy Parks)
Thankfully that didn’t happen. People from all areas of the county pushed back on the original design for a bypass and instead supported what was eventually built—Stone Spring Road—that crosses I-81 much closer to the urban areas of Harrisonburg and Rockingham and provides a much-needed east-west connection.
Today, the Alliance is still talking with Keezletown folks about transportation, but this time our conversations are about local traffic, pedestrian connections, bicycles and gateways. We are working with the citizens of Keezletown on a community project to get input on the vision they have for their hometown. This input will be provided to Rockingham County, which is working to update the county’s comprehensive plan. We are glad that Keezletown wasn’t dismantled all those years ago, and are happy to be looking to the future with our friends in Keezletown.