ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 15, 1997 TAG: 9701150040
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
Over the last two years, the city of Roanoke has doggedly overcome hurdles to building a new interchange at Valley View Mall, winning grudging approval of the project from the state and federal governments.
Now there is one final roadblock to clear: money. A new estimate pegs the cost of building a partial interchange about one mile south of Hershberger Road at $6.6 million, a 32 percent increase from a 1995 estimate of $5 million.
The new figure was quietly unveiled Monday as a line item in the long list of potential capital improvement projects in Roanoke's future. The cost was revised because engineers hired for the project told officials the $5 million estimate was too low, said Bill Clark, the city's director of public works.
"That was a very unofficial estimate prior to any design work beginning," Clark said. "This one is more up to date, now that we've got consultants under contract."
Because VDOT and the Federal Highway Administration would only let the city proceed if it paid 100 percent of the cost, the new pricetag means Roanoke taxpayers probably can expect to get hit for another $1.6 million. The city has already borrowed $5 million for the project.
Even that number is rather soft, Clark said. It could go up or down depending on the bids. Clark hopes work will be under way by the end of the year.
Councilman William White on Tuesday said he believed all along the price wouldn't stay at $5million.
"I was aware that there was going to be an increase," White said. "I would say before it ends up, it will be higher. I would add 15 to percent to that, easy. Time is money. That estimate was two or three years ago. When you actually get into the work, you find things you couldn't anticipate."
Clark said it hasn't been determined yet where any additional funding for the project will come from. White said it could put a crimp in other projects the city's five-year capital building program, which totals $178 million. Only $20 million to $30 million of those projects can be funded without a tax increase.
"It might be that it would slow down some other projects," White said. "We do have some projects that come in under estimates, too. So those could make up the difference."
Clark said there is some consideration of using the city's operating budget to make up any shortfalls in the project.
The city is moving ahead with the project because it expects traffic to grow greatly in the Hershberger Road corridor.
A traffic analysis prepared for the owner of Valley View Mall two years ago estimates that daily traffic may grow by 66 percent in the I-581-Hershberger area over the next 25 years.
The interchange probably would be just north of Round Hill Elementary School and would cross the old 130-acre Watts Farm, which sits on both sides of the interstate south of Valley View.
It would connect to an extension of Valley View Boulevard, for which Wal-Mart has offered to pay. The 130 acres of farmland is expected to be opened to development.
The partial interchange would allow northbound traffic on 581 to exit onto an extended Valley View Boulevard. It would also allow traffic leaving the mall to exit onto southbound 581. In the future, it could be expanded to accommodate traffic in all directions.
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