Roanoke residents living near the Lick Run Greenway now have easy access to Valley View Mall thanks to a brand-new greenway bridge that spans Route 581 to the mall area.
The city celebrated the opening of this bridge with Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) officials at a ribbon-cutting and inaugural walk across the bridge on Thursday, Oct. 22.
According to Ken King, VDOT’s Salem District Engineer, this new bridge is one portion of the new Valley View Mall interchange project and will be an asset for pedestrians. “The new bridge will serve as a real safety benefit for Lick Run Greenway users who will have their own I-581 crossing away from the busy Valley View interchange,” he said. The entire Valley View Mall traffic interchange is scheduled to be completed by fall of 2016.
In addition to enhancing safety, the new bridge, which is 14 feet wide and nearly 250 feet in length, also provides spectacular views from an elevated, bird’s-eye vantage point. With an overall cost of $800,000, the final project will include lighting and permanent fencing along the greenway side in the near future.
According to Bob Clement, Roanoke’s Neighborhood Services Coordinator, the new bridge offers optimal connectivity for citizens. “This is definitely an asset for our neighborhoods. Now pedestrians can access the Lick Run Greenway from as far away as the City Market Building and travel on a traffic-free, paved pathway all the way to Valley View Mall,” he said.
According to Clement, the bridge ends at the mall but gives pedestrians and cyclists direct access to Huff Lane Park and the Greater Grandview Area neighborhood.
As a resource for greenway enthusiasts, Roanoke Parks and Recreation recently divided all of the city’s greenway sections into separate routes. To see these routes, including mileage, terrain information and difficulty levels, visit PlayRoanoke.com/greenways. For information on all greenways in the Roanoke Region, visit www.Greenways.org.
