Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 14, 1995 TAG: 9509140052
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: LESLIE HAGER-SMITH SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Response was generally favorable to the project, which will widen and straighten the road and add bike lanes.
"There are a lot of wrecks on that road," said Elaine Meredith of 1002 Rock Road. "We're glad to see it come through."
Her husband, Ronnie, grew up in the area and has seen traffic steadily worsen over the years. "The curve they're eliminating in front of our house - I just had to fix the fence two weeks ago because someone had wrecked there."
Five homes and one business will be displaced by construction, which includes widening and straightening the road between First and Wadsworth streets, and adding turning lanes on First Street, Jeffries Drive, Inglewood Drive, Forest Avenue, Staple Street, Wadsworth Street and Smith Avenue. The work, however, avoids a historic church on the road, Zion Hill Baptist Church.
"We knew eventually that something would happen, and so we were prepared," said Billy Alexander. The home that sits on his brother's property at 777 Rock Road and the home of a cousin, Anthony Delaney, would be razed to accommodate the wider road.
"We knew that it would be less expensive and more practical to leave the church and take from the other side," Alexander said. "We're not happy, but we're not really surprised."
Most of the money for the road project will come from the state, with 2 percent coming from Radford.
The state's plans include a 2.5-foot curb and gutter and a 9.5-foot green space and utility easement on each side of the roadway. A 5-foot sidewalk is proposed for the east side of the road, from Inglewood Drive to Smith Avenue. The roadway grade and alignment will be improved, intersections will be upgraded, and an underground storm sewer system will be added to improve drainage conditions.
Faye Brown, clerk of the Zion Hill Baptist Church, came by Tuesday to see how the improvements will affect not only her church but several relatives who own adjacent properties along Rock Road. Though all will lose some road frontage, Brown's reaction was measured. "It's difficult to get an actual visual picture of how this will affect the area," she said. "Rock Road has become very busy, and for people in the church and living here, it's not a welcome change. Mostly people are not being displaced by the project, but they are being crowded."
Liz Henshaw, a Transportation Department engineer with responsibility for location and design , explained how priorities are assigned in the planning process. "The environmental section determines if there are historic buildings or sites in the area." Construction is designed to protect these areas as much as possible. "In the case of Zion Hill Baptist Church," she added, "the city of Radford notified us that the church should be avoided."
Charles R. and Ellen C. Brix reviewed the site plans with interest. Their home is on Charlton Lane, but Rock Road borders their back yard. Widening the road and elevating it, in order to improve drainage, will destroy a stand of trees that buffers their home from the road. "Now we're out in the country - suddenly we'll be on the highway," Charles Brix said.
"It will be nice to have a better road, it will be safer, " said Ellen Brix, "but the loss of the trees as a sight and sound barrier is a great loss in terms of aesthetics." The state will compensate the Brixes for the loss, but will not replace the trees.
Radford City Council members formally requested the Rock Road improvements in 1986. After information gathered at Tuesday's hearing is evaluated, the department will submit the plan to the Radford City Council and the Commonwealth Transportation Board for approval, probably late this year. Right-of-way acquisition could begin early next year, with advertisement of construction scheduled for mid-1997.
Written comments on the project will be accepted until Sept. 22.
Information and comment sheets are available through the city engineer's office in the Municipal Building. Comments also may be mailed to F.C. Altizer Jr., VDOT, Salem District Administrator, P.O. Box 3071, Salem, Va., 24153.
by CNB