THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 19, 1995 TAG: 9511190147
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: ROANOKE LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
Plans to improve Church Street in Norfolk moved another step forward Thursday as the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the final design and location of the road.
The plans call for Church Street to be turned into a crucial north-south commuter link to downtown. With the proposed improvements, the road will be expanded to four lanes from Princess Anne Road north to Granby Street. Improvements south of Princess Anne Road were completed a few years ago.
About $10.2 million in improvements to the road include two lanes and a bike path in each direction. Opposite lanes of traffic will be divided by a 24-foot landscaped median. The improvements are expected to eliminate on-street parking.
Current traffic volume on Church Street is about 14,000 vehicles per day. By 2000, traffic is projected to be about 24,500 vehicles per day.
Right-of-way for the project is expected to uproot 10 residences and 31 businesses. Construction could begin in 1998.
Norfolk City Council unanimously approved the road improvements in August. Some residents and business owners are concerned about the plans, which they said would wipe out a number of African-American businesses and convert a once-thriving black neighborhood into a through street. by CNB