Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 3, 1993 TAG: 9306030319
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Wells Avenue realignment tops a list of projects that could be eligible for a new federal program that allows states and localities to use transportation money for innovative features such as landscaping and open space.
The city Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend that City Council give top priority to the Wells Avenue project.
Some Gainsboro residents have opposed the project, contending that it will destroy the residential character of the neighborhood.
Despite the opposition, the city has decided to proceed with the project and include trees and other features to soften the impact of the four-lane road on the neighborhood.
John Marlles, chief of community planning, said the landscaping and other features will cost $800,000. If the city gets the federal money, he said, it can beautify the Wells Avenue project even more than it did earlier projects.
But there is no assurance the city will receive any funds under the new program.
Roanoke will have to compete with cities and counties across the state for the money, Marlles said.
Virginia has been allocated $7.5 million for the next year under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.
State officials have indicated that they want to spread the funds around the state, Marlles said.
Several other projects are on the list that the commission will recommend to council, although it seems unlikely that more than one city project would be funded in the next year.
Ranked second is the proposed pedestrian bridge over the Norfolk Southern tracks to link the Hotel Roanoke and the City Market.
City funds will be used to build the pedestrian bridge, but city officials said they could use federal funds to make the bridge more attractive.
The third-ranked project is a proposal to renovate Hotel Roanoke in a more historically accurate manner. The scope and timing of the hotel project will not be affected by the potential funds, but architects said the authenticity and quality of the historic restoration might.
The fourth-ranked project is the proposal for covering the railroad engines and other exhibits stored outside the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The museum has developed a $4 million plan for covering the exhibits in phases. The first phase will cost $669,000.
by CNB