ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, July 30, 1996 TAG: 9607300128
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
A new interchange on Interstate 581 between Orange Avenue and Hershberger Road moved closer to reality Monday with word that the Federal Highway Administration had approved it.
The city can now move ahead with designing the interchange and buying right of way for it, said Bill Clark, Roanoke's public works director. Work on the project could be completed within two years, he said.
The interchange will provide access to the Wal-Mart superstore and Valley View Mall. Initially it will be a partial interchange, with an exit on northbound I-581 and a bridge over the highway leading to southbound I-581.
The city included $5 million in its last bond issue to help pay for construction. Access roads, signs and other needs are expected to raise the cost to $8 million, city spokeswoman Michelle Bono said.
The interchange should improve access to Valley View Boulevard and Roanoke Regional Airport, help cut traffic on Hershberger Road and open up land for commercial development, Mayor David Bowers said.
The city thinks additional development in the area could bring the city another $2 million annually in taxes.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board added the interchange to its six-year improvement plan in June.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, said a Highway Administration official indicated in a phone call Monday that the agency was approving the interchange. That was confirmed late in the day by Bono, who said the Virginia Department of Transportation had advised the city of the federal approval.
Goodlatte said he had been working with the Highway Administration on behalf of the interchange since last fall. He said the agency continues to insist that a complete interchange eventually be built at the site.
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