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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 27, 1991                   TAG: 9103270513
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

COST ESTIMATE DECLINES FOR ROAD TO EXPLORE

New cost estimates show that the 2 1/4-mile Roanoke River Parkway can be built with the $15 million that Congress has appropriated, Rep. Jim Olin, D- Roanoke, said Tuesday.

Previously, Olin had expected to have to go back to Congress to ask for up to $5 million more to complete the road.

"It doesn't happen very often," Olin said of the declining cost estimate.

The key is that the proposed route - from the Blue Ridge Parkway south of the Roanoke River, across the regional landfill into Explore - is on fairly level land.

"The terrain is much easier to work with," Olin said, which makes the road cheaper.

With funding in hand, Olin and National Park Service officials set to work Tuesday on the nitty-gritty of the parkway's path across the landfill.

The parkway wouldn't cross any land that has been used for dumping, but would cross a section - the so-called Area A - that has been talked about as an emergency dumping site if the rest of the landfill fills up before the new Smith Gap landfill in western Roanoke County opens as scheduled in 1993.

The Park Service wants two assurances. First, that Area A won't be used for dumping. Second, that the three valley governments that own the landfill - Roanoke County, Roanoke and Vinton - are willing to transfer a strip of land through the landfill to the federal government for the parkway.

Vinton sent a letter to federal officials Monday saying that's fine with the town; Roanoke County supervisors added their agreement Tuesday.

Assistant Administrator John Hubbard, one of Roanoke County's representatives on the landfill board, said he didn't anticipate the landfill would need to bury trash in Area A.

The new Smith Gap landfill is supposed to open in January 1993, about six months before the Mount Pleasant landfill is expected to fill up, Hubbard said.

Olin said he hasn't set a date to ask the city to grant its approval to the park service's request. The city and county have been haggling over a contract for the new Smith Gap landfill. Once that's settled, Olin said, he sees "no problem" to the city going along.

Staff writer Mark Layman contributed information to this story.