Residents in Virginia spar over gravel or paved roads; some want progress, others want historic preservation

Sheep farming is a way of life for some Loudoun residents.
(Washington Post photo)

Their plan might be unorthodox and controversial, but some residents in western Loudoun County, Va., aim to save their "picturesque rural enclave" from suburban sprawl by "putting all of the roughly 250 miles of gravel roads that meander across the county on the National Register of Historic Places," report Justin Jouvenal, Bonnie Jo Mount and Jayne Orenstein of The Washington Post. "Some say protecting Loudoun's gravel roads will ensure its rustic soul and charm survive a suburban onslaught. But not everyone wants to go along for the ride."

Map by Tim Mek, WP, from
Loudoun County data

Some of Loudoun County has already been sub-urbanized by new homes, restaurants and thousands of residents who work in Washington, D.C. But in this slice of the county, some see that keeping unpaved roads will prevent a burbs takeover. "Supporters say the lanes evoke Loudoun's rural soul, history and charm," the Post reports. "Detractors see a quixotic quest to thwart the most basic steps into modernity. They complain of rattling rides to work and Starbucks that sometimes feel like sitting in the seat of a tractor."

The battle of unpaved vs. improved is so contentious that "Loudoun County Supervisor Caleb Kershner refers to it as the 'road wars.' Similar fights have played out in other localities across the country as the movement to preserve unpaved roads has gained traction in recent decades," Jouvenal, Mount and Orenstein write. "A network of roads is an atypical pick for the National Park Service's register. . . . Supporters say Loudoun's roads belong there because they span the sweep of American history."

Sheep have the right-of-way in Loudoun.
(Washington Post photo)

"The plan, spearheaded by a group called America’s Routes, is also a bid to hold on to something intangible — a kind of life that has all but disappeared in the pressure cooker of the nation’s capital," the Post reports. "But where some see character, others see a dirty track, as rutted as an old washboard, that grows less appealing with each flat tire and trip to the car wash."

The battle continues. "These competing visions erupted at a Board of Supervisors meeting in September, where residents clashed for over an hour over paving a handful of roads — including just 300 feet of one," according to the article. "The Virginia Department of Transportation launched a pilot project about six years ago that put a layer of concrete beneath the gravel to stabilize the road — a sort of middle ground between paving and not paving."

To read out about a hidden but pivotal piece of U.S. Civil War history that took place at Beaverdam Ford along Loudoun gravel roads, read the full story here.