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

DATE: THURSDAY, May 12, 1994                   TAG: 9405120167
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Short

LANES CLOSING ON U.S. 460 NEAR BYPASS

By next week, traffic along the U.S. 460 bypass near the intersection of South Gate Drive will be confined to one-half of the highway as two culverts are replaced.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has contracted out the $1.3 million job to English construction, which will work through the summer to finish the project, said department project engineer Arlin Surratt.

The west-bound lanes, then the east-bound lanes, will be closed at separate times from next week to approximately Aug. 15, he said. The speed limit in about a mile-long stretch will be reduced to 30 mph.

Traffic will probably back up at the stop-light intersection during heavy travel times, Surratt said, but he did not expect major traffic jams.

Surratt said the culverts' tops were deteriorating to the point that it was causing depressions in the highway. The project, which began two weeks ago, is timed to take advantage of the smaller numbers of Virginia Tech students in Blacksburg over the summer months.

"We're trying to get this done while the Tech students are out," said Surratt. "Time is a factor in that project."

Memo: ***CORRECTION***

by CNB