Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990 TAG: 9004250474
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The leg will be closed to traffic May 4 at 6 p.m., after the evening rush-hour.
William Clark, city public works director, said Tuesday that the city has received official notice from developer Henry Faison that he is ready to begin construction on the 20-story Dominion Tower at Jefferson Street and Salem Avenue.
Branch Highways Inc., a contractor, is expected to begin razing the viaduct leg within two days after it is closed, Clark said.
City Council awarded a $180,130 contract to Branch last November to raze a section of the Jefferson Street leg. Bids will be sought later for tearing out a second section.
The Williamson Road portion of the viaduct will remain open.
Construction on the Dominion Tower can begin before the contractor finishes the demolition, Clark said.
Faison had hoped to start construction in January, but it took attorneys longer than anticipated to draft the legal documents that were required because the city will own a six-level parking garage within the building.
Clark said street and traffic crews will be working in the next 10 days to make changes in traffic signals, signs and street markings.
Traffic officials have developed an interim plan for traffic until a proposed inner-loop road system is finished in 1992 and a new bridge is built across the Norfolk Southern tracks at Second Street Southwest.
The interim plan is designed to help speed downtown traffic during rush hours. The chief features are:
Converting First Street between Campbell and Salem avenues to two-way. Clark said this will be done by Thursday to provide an outlet for eastbound Campbell Avenue traffic by way of the First Street bridge.
Converting Jefferson Street between Salem and Norfolk avenues to two-way.
Creating two left-turn lanes from eastbound Campbell onto northbound Williamson. Parking will be prohibited between 3 and 6 p.m. on the north side of Campbell in the block between the City Market and Williamson.
Eliminating the left turn from northbound Williamson onto Salem and closing the median crossover. This will allow continuous traffic flow on Williamson and still allow southbound right turns onto Salem.
by CNB