Greenways to Receive $12.7 Million of $28.2 Million Transportation Funds

The Roanoke Valley MPO Study Area
The Roanoke Valley MPO Study Area

The Roanoke Valley Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board (MPO) has approved over $28 million in funding for 15 transportation projects in the Roanoke urbanized area over the next six years.

Local governments, Valley Metro, and other eligible transportation agencies submitted over $33 million in project requests to be funded by the new cooperative program. The top three projects included $12.7 million to finish construction of the Roanoke River Greenway and two studies: one to conduct a transportation and economic impact assessment of the proposed Norfolk Southern intermodal center in Elliston, and the other to look at the feasibility of a multi-modal transportation center in downtown Roanoke that would help evaluate the future needs of Valley Metro public transit service and passenger rail service.

“This is a thrilling day for all our greenway supporters, for citizens who love to be outdoors and for the business community which recognizes the importance of greenways to economic development,” said Liz Belcher, the Roanoke Valley Greenway Coordinator.

The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, which also staffs the Roanoke Valley Area MPO, performed an economic impact analysis of the 15 projects. The total economic impact of the 15 projects is estimated to be $45 million for the regional economy and will help support 414 jobs over the next 6 years.

Projects Include:

• Finish Roanoke River Greenway from Green Hill Park to the Blue Ridge Parkway- Cities of

Roanoke and Salem, Counties of Botetourt and Roanoke, and the Town of Vinton

• Impacts of Freight Intermodal Center- Transportation and Economic Study – Roanoke MPO

• Downtown Roanoke Multimodal Transportation Study- City of Roanoke, Valley Metro

• Bus Replacement for Smart Way Commuter Service- Valley Metro

• Plantation Road, Bicycle, Pedestrian and Streetscape Improvement Project- County of Roanoke

• Exit 140 Park and Ride Reconstruction- County of Roanoke

• West Main Street Pedestrian Improvement Project- County of Roanoke

• Walnut Avenue Phase I: Street Improvements- Town of Vinton

• Glade/Tinker Creek Greenway Bridge- Town of Vinton

• Walnut Avenue Phase II- Town of Vinton

• Downtown Roanoke Signal Coordination- City of Roanoke

• Tinker Creek Greenway Corridor Planning Study- City of Roanoke

• Botetourt and Roanoke Counties Greenway Connectivity Study- Botetourt County

• Street Resurfacing- City of Roanoke

• Route 24 (Dale Avenue) Bridge over Tinker Creek Reconstruction- City of Roanoke

The funding must be programmed for a six-year cycle and is flexible for use on a variety of federally qualifying projects. However, the projects are reviewed yearly and the MPO Policy Board can open the process up to new applications as needed.

“It is possible that projects not obligated in the first year of the six year cycle in the financial plan could be reassessed if a higher priority project comes along”, says Mark McCaskill, a senior planner with the Roanoke Valley Area MPO. Projects listed in the first year of funding are committed for full funding; projects listed in the remaining years of the financial plan are not guaranteed funding, due to the possibility of the MPO Policy Board deciding to call for new applications and re-prioritize in any future year.

The funding is referred to as “RSTP” for Regional Surface Transportation Program, where Federal Highway Administration funds are allocated to urban areas with populations greater than 200,000. While the Roanoke Valley has been a federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for many decades, the region crossed the 200,000 population threshold after the 2010 US Census. At the same time, Montgomery County was also added to the Roanoke Valley Area MPO, since the 2010 urbanized area now includes the US Route 460 corridor towards Elliston.

More Information on all RSTP projects can be found at www.roanokempo.org.

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