
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 22, 1990                   TAG: 9005220433
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC MOVING WELL, SO FAR

Changes have been made in the timing of some traffic signals in downtown Roanoke since the Jefferson Street leg of the Hunter Viaduct was closed two weeks ago, but no major revisions have been required to handle the traffic.

Bob Bengtson, city traffic engineer, said Monday that the interim plan for handling downtown traffic seems to be working smoothly.

"It seems to be going very well, based on our observations and the comments we hear from motorists," Bengtson said.

City officials will continue to monitor traffic patterns and make changes if needed, he said.

The viaduct leg was razed to provide a site for the 20-story Dominion Tower at Jefferson Street and Salem Avenue.

Construction began last week. The $40 million building will have 205,868 square feet of office space and will be 320 feet high - the tallest structure in downtown.

The building is a project of Faison Associates of Charlotte, N.C., the developer of Valley View Mall. Dominion Bankshares Corp., for which the building is named, will occupy 90,000 square feet.

The city will hold a public hearing tonight on the design and location for a proposed four-lane bridge over the Second Street railroad crossing and other street improvements that will be part of a downtown loop traffic system.

The hearing will be at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber in the Municipal Building.

The bridge will extend between the Henry Street revival area and Salem Avenue.

The $9.5 million project also will include improvements to Gainsboro Road and Wells Avenue.

Bengtson said the schedule calls for construction to begin in December and be finished by Jan. 1, 1992.

State funds will cover 98 percent of the construction costs.

The inner loop will mostly follow existing streets. It will include Wells Avenue, Gainsboro Road, the new bridge, Second Street, Franklin Road and Williamson Road.

Traffic consultants have said the loop system will provide easy access to and from downtown. The Williamson Road section of the viaduct will remain open and will be incorporated into the loop plan.

The consultants said the loop system also would provide good access to a proposed convention center, which would be built on the site of Norfolk Southern's old office buildings, north of the railroad tracks.

by CNB