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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 12, 1994                   TAG: 9401120073
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

IN BUSINESS

Traffic on the Blue Ridge Parkway fell 8.2 percent in December, officials of the scenic roadway reported.

The parkway's Asheville, N.C., administrative offices said 1,310,345 vehicles used the road last month, compared with 1,426,718 in December 1992. Traffic on the Virginia portion was down 19.5 percent to 520,035 vehicles, while traffic on the North Carolina portion rose 1.2 percent to 790,310.

For all of 1993, parkway traffic rose 1.4 percent to 22,917,344 vehicles. Virginia traffic fell 1.1 percent to 8,793,726 vehicles and North Carolina traffic rose 3.1 percent to 14,123,618 vehicles.

Since the parkway opened in April 1939, the traffic count is 588,562,347 vehicles. - Staff report

Martin Bros. wins building contracts

Martin Bros. Contractors Inc. of Roanoke said it has been awarded construction contracts totaling $2 million. They include a new pavilion at Our Lady of the Valley Retirement Community, an Autozone auto parts store at 3729 Williamson Road and expansion of the Wheat First Securities offices in First Union Tower.

Martin Bros. also will remodel offices at 105 Franklin Road for Faison & Associates for space being leased to the U.S. Department of Drug Enforcement, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the United States Secret Service.

- Staff report