Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 23, 1995 TAG: 9505230096
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
J.L., Roanoke
A: The official answer is: Salem started calling Virginia 419 Electric Road because it takes traffic past the General Electric plant.
Roanoke County took the name for its part of 419 as an extension, so to speak, of Salem's idea.
There's no basis for accusing the street namers of seeing far enough ahead to anticipate the 20 traffic lights from West Main Street in Salem to U.S. 220 at Tanglewood Mall.
That's 2.3 lights per mile, by the way.
Let's just say that it took Salem to dream of Electric Road and Roanoke County's developers to give it meaning.|
Thump, roar, thump
Q: My question affects everybody east of the Wal-Mart construction site at Valley View Mall. From sunrise to sunset, a crane lifts a weight and lets it fall to compact the earth. It's noisy as the motor revs up to lift the weight, and again when the weight pounds the ground. Is there any end in sight to this noise?
C.P., Roanoke
A: The dynamic compaction process is scheduled to be finished by the end of this week or the first of June at the latest, said Mike Castleberry, the construction superintendent.
That sort of noise can seem relentless, but it does eventually end, as neighbors of the Hanover Direct catalog distribution center off Old Hollins Road can attest. The contractor there used a similar pounding process a year ago to break up bedrock.
If weather cooperates and no major problems reveal themselves, any limestone sinkholes typical to the Wal-Mart area should be packed tight in a few days.
Incidentally, they're crunching only the 200,000 square feet where the store will sit, not the entire site.
The promised light
Q: When are we going to get the traffic light at Old Mountain Road and Hollins Road that we were promised in the bond issue that was passed last fall?
R.S., Roanoke
A: That signal was approved by City Council on Monday. The light, plus the widening of Hollins Road at the intersection, is on track for completion by the end of the year.
Approval was necessary before ordering the signals and utility poles, which take about five months to be fabricated and delivered.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB