Drs. Nancy and Kevin Dye live in Rockledge – that mansion halfway up the side of Mill Mountain that is visible from the valley floor. It was also the former home of ex-Mayor Ralph Smith, now a State Senator. Rockledge is adjacent to the old toll road to the top of Mill Mountain, which is closed to vehicular traffic past the Dye’s home. Popular with bikers, runners and walkers – its officially part of the Mill Mountain Greenway – Nancy Dye, a retired surgeon, said the crumbling roadway and stone retaining walls need some TLC.
Dye – chair of the newly reconstituted Mill Mountain Advisory Board – said with each rainstorm the retaining walls are in further peril. The roots from large trees have also made damaging inroads. It will cost about $80,000, she noted recently, to make the needed repairs. “In areas they are suffering from deterioration and damage,” said Dye of those walls, “and it really has been progressing over the past several years.”
She spoke about the old Mill Mountain roadway at the History Museum of Western Virginia recently. “If we’re able to raise awareness and raise funds, and be proactive about it we can accomplish it for a lot less cost [than waiting for it to collapse].” Dye noted that a successful effort to restore the toll booth on the old road several years ago, after funds were raised, makes her hopeful that a similar effort could help with repaving and wall repairs.
As for the concrete roadbed – paved 90 years ago for $90,000 – it also needs resurfacing. A layer of asphalt laid on top of the original concrete bed is also coming apart. Runners and bikers have taken spills in recent years when hitting potholes. “You can actually see the concrete underneath in many areas …and original brickwork [part of a drainage system],” noted Dye. “It was an amazing engineering feat back in 1924. People came from all over the world to study it.”
Also considered notable at the time was the concrete “Loop the Loop” bridge near the Dye home – you go under then over it. It was the only concrete bridge of its type anywhere when it was built. Many old postcards from that period featured the bridge. After a 1928 tour of the United States, Dye said the “Prince of the Netherlands,” published a ten page newsletter about his travels. The only photo he used from America was one of the Loop the Loop bridge. “It was that famous.”
That old road is also part of the Blue Ridge Marathon and half marathon course, and Dye said it’s important for Roanoke City to put its best foot forward during that annual event. The five-year-old marathon has drawn runners from most states and several countries – not to mention journalists reporting on the event for national running magazines. The Dyes served up champagne-laden “mimosas” to grateful runners as they ran down the roadway during April’s race.
The Mill Mountain Advisory Board is talking to Roanoke City parks and recreation about the issue. “They are on board in trying to get this done in some way,” said Dye. The holdup, of course, is money.
“If there’s any way we can help raise awareness or funds that’s what we would like to help do,” added Dye. The Preservation Foundation of Roanoke Valley and Virginia Preservation have both listed the roadway as endangered. “The road is a very important part of Roanoke’s history and identity,” said Dr. Dye. “It’s very important…for Roanoke to take care of this asset.”
By Gene Marrano
