ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Thursday, April 10, 1997               TAG: 9704100073
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: B-8  EDITION: METRO 
                                             TYPE: INDICATORS 
SOURCE: MAG POFF

INDICATORS

Travel fell slightly in the Roanoke district of the Blue Ridge Parkway in March, even though more people used the scenic drive overall. The number of people entering the parkway in the Roanoke district was down 1 percent compared with March 1996, parkway administrators reported. Most of the travelers - 40,616 - used the entrance off U.S. 220 south of Roanoke; 26,148 entered at Virginia 24 east of Vinton; 6,532 used U.S. 221, and 4,521 used Mill Mountain Road. Total travel on the parkway rose 15.7 percent, with increases of 9.9 percent for the stretch through Virginia and 20.1 percent for North Carolina.

LENGTH: Short :   24 lines
ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC:  color chart.