Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 2, 1990 TAG: 9003022933
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
City officials had expected to close the viaduct in January so construction could begin on the Dominion Tower, an 18-story office building at Jefferson Street and Salem Avenue in downtown Roanoke.
But it has taken attorneys longer than anticipated to draft the legal documents required for the project because the city will own a six-level parking garage within the building.
Brian Wishneff, chief of economic development for the city, said this week that attorneys have almost finished the documents, including one that is 60 pages.
When those are completed, the city will need two weeks to implement a plan for handling downtown traffic.
Dominion Bankshares and the Woods Rogers & Hazlegrove law firm will be anchor tenants in developer Henry Faison's building.
Traffic Engineer Robert Bengtson said Thursday he was still awaiting word on the date for construction to begin. The city doesn't want to close and raze the viaduct leg until it is necessary.
City traffic officials have developed a plan for traffic until a proposed inner-loop road system is finished in 1992 and a new bridge is built across the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks at Second Street Southwest.
"We've got a good two weeks of work to do once we get the word," Bengtson said.
Many traffic signs and street markings will have to be changed, he said, as well as the timing for some traffic signals.
The plan is mainly designed to speed traffic in and out of downtown during morning and afternoon rush hours. The chief features are:
Conversion of First Street between Campbell and Salem avenues into a two-way street.
Conversion of Jefferson Street between Salem and Norfolk avenues into a two-way street.
Creating two left-turn lanes on Campbell Avenue at Williamson Road (between 3 and 6 p.m.) to speed the flow of rush-hour traffic out of downtown. Parking would be prohibited on the north side of Campbell in the block between the City Market and Williamson Road to provide the additional lane for left turns from Campbell onto Williamson Road.
Removing the traffic lights on the viaduct at Williamson Road and Salem Avenue, closing the median break and eliminating a left turn from Williamson Road onto Salem Avenue for northbound motorists. Southbound motorists could still turn right onto Salem Avenue from Williamson Road.
The city will own six floors of parking within Faison's building. It also will have an adjoining six-story parking garage.
The parking spaces within the building and the garage will be connected, creating in effect one parking garage with six stories and 727 parking spaces.
Faison will construct all of the spaces - those within his building as well the adjoining garage.
The city's Redevelopment and Housing Authority, acting on behalf of the city, will pay $11.3 million to Faison for all of the spaces.
The authority, in turn, will lease the top three floors of parking in the office building to Faison for 60 years for use by tenants. The authority will be a party to the legal transaction and act on behalf of the city because it has the power to make long-term leases.
The entire garage and three stories of parking in the office building will be available for use by the public.
by CNB