Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 27, 1993 TAG: 9307270193
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The old two-lane timber-and-steel bridge will be replaced with a four-lane concrete structure with sidewalks and curbs.
There is a seven-ton weight limit on the old bridge. There will be no weight restrictions on the new structure.
City Traffic Engineer Bob Bengtson said Monday that motorists have several alternate routes for crossing the railroad tracks:
The two-lane First Street bridge between downtown and the Henry Street revival area.
The Second Street railroad crossing near the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
The four-lane 10th Street bridge that links Northwest Roanoke with the West End neighborhood.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board has awarded a $2.8 million contract to Lanford Brothers to construct the Fifth Street bridge.
Fifth Street will also be widened to four lanes between Salem Avenue and Gilmer Avenue, Bengtson said.
"Since the bridge will be widened to four lanes, Fifth Street will also be widened to four lanes at each end of the bridge," Bengtson said.
The right of the way for the bridge and widening project has been acquired, he said.
Traffic on the bridge is projected to increase to 12,600 vehicles daily by the year 2010.
Construction will begin Monday and is scheduled to take eight months to complete.
In a related construction project, the Shaffers Crossing railroad underpass will be closed Thursday and Friday for repaving.
The underpass at 24th Street Northwest will be closed from 6 a.m. Thursday until 7 p.m. Friday. A detour will be marked.
City officials said they want to complete the Shaffers Crossing repaving before closing the Fifth Street bridge because the bridge is one of the alternate routes while the underpass is closed.
by CNB