Projects, Biking with Ken

What’s in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law & how can the Roanoke region make the most of it?

What’s in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law & how can the Roanoke region make the most of it?

As Chair of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (RVARC)’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee I gave a presentation for the committee on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). My goal in that presentation, and in this blog post, is to explain:

What the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is
Describe Key Programs and Concepts for taking advantage of the BIL
Identify Opportunities for Roanoke to maximize the BIL for biking and walking

What is the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)?

The BIL is a Trillion dollar investment in infrastructure. It is larger than, but includes a five year authorization of federal transportation funding. For the state of Virginia, the BIL means we can expect $7.7 Billion in federal transportation funding by 2026, a 33.5% increase from current funding levels. In addition, there are more than 200 Billion in competitive grants that can further increase funding available for localities in Virginia.

Key Programs and Concepts for taking advantage of the BIL

Most of the $7.7 Billion that Virginia receives under the BIL will come through formula fund programs. While biking and walking projects are eligible under most formula fund programs, the programs most likely to fund biking and walking projects are:

The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)
The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ)
The Surface Transportation Program (STP)
The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)

TAP is the long-time source for a majority of biking and walking projects in most states, and the smallest of these four programs. STP is the largest and most flexible program. CMAQ and HSIP tend to be more quantitatively driven, and have been used effectively for biking and walking projects in some places.

In Roanoke, planning documents say that Roanoke plans to get $700-800,000 each year from TAP. Thanks to the BIL, Roanoke can expect TAP funding to increase 50%, up to $1.5 Million per year. According to past data, Roanoke tends to award two to three TAP projects each year, with a one year lapse in 2019 when no projects were awarded. TAP funding has been critical to the growth of the greenway system.

The future of transportation projects in Roanoke can be found in the RVARC Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). A TIP is a federally-required planning document that projects must be included in if they are to receive federal funds. By looking at the existing TIP, we can see where Roanoke expects funds from the BIL to go and identify potential opportunities.

In reviewing the Roanoke TIP, it is notable how much federal funding is going to I-81 and related projects. The state of Virginia has dedicated a regional gas tax to I-81 and that revenue stream is leveraged by nearly $700 million in federal funds in the Roanoke TIP. Three projects related to I-81 are 74% of planned spending in the largest category of spending, “Safety/ITS/Operational Improvements.”

In the Roanoke TIP, biking and walking projects and elements are found throughout funding categories, but are concentrated in the category “Transportation Enhancement/Byway/Non-Traditional.” Transportation Enhancements was the name of a predecessor program to TAP, but has not been used in federal law since 2012. Within the Transportation Enhancements category, greenway projects are the majority of planned spending. Overall, $53 million in planned projects are found in the Transportation Enhancements category.

Four greenway projects are planned that cost a combined $27 million. At a rate of $1.5 million/year it would take TAP funding 18 years to fund those four projects, if no other biking and walking projects were funded during that time. If we want to make those projects a reality faster, then we must find opportunities in other funding programs or through discretionary grants. Because I believe that proposals are motivating and likely to be beneficial for finding funding from any program, focusing on discretionary grants is where I see the biggest opportunities for Roanoke.

Opportunities for Roanoke to maximize the BIL for biking and walking

The big opportunity for Roanoke is a RAISE Grant. RAISE Grants are the largest discretionary grant program in the BIL and the program with the longest track record. Through 2026 there will be $1.5 Billion/year distributed through the RAISE program.

The Biden administration has administered one year of the RAISE program. The RAISE program replaces the BUILD program which replaced the TIGER program. Since Congress authorized the TIGER program, each administration makes its mark on the types of projects funded.

For certain qualifying communities, RAISE can fund the entire project, and the Biden administration has committed to 15% of grants going to qualifying communities. The Biden administration has also added quality of life criteria that make projects that reduce automobile dependence more competitive. Even prior to those positive changes, RAISE had a good track record of funding biking and walking projects.

The Biden administration has funded several types of bicycle and pedestrian projects under the RAISE program that Roanoke can learn from.

Completing greenway networks

There were four greenway projects funded where the funding finished a network or segment.
Example: Completing the Vision – The Marquette Greenway builds 20 miles of the Marquette Greenway to complete a 60 mile path with an award of $18 million and a total project cost of $31 million.

Greenway network progress

There were four greenway projects funded where the funding provided for a critical connection, but most of the proposed greenway or network is unbuilt.
Example: Durham Belt Line builds 1.75 miles of trail with an award of $9 million and a total project cost of $16 million.

Community hubs

There were four projects that funded improvements on a grid of streets to create bicycle and pedestrian spaces around a community hub.
Example: Rockford Complete Streets Revitalization Project builds streetscape on multiple streets in a grid with an award of $16 million and a total project cost of $22 million.

RAISE grants have an average project size of $10-20 Million, $25 Million max. Looking at planned Roanoke bicycle and pedestrian projects, there are a few candidates for a RAISE grant:

Tinker Creek Greenway to Carvins Cove

The Tinker Creek Greenway is planned to be 13.3 miles total. There are 3.3 miles built, one 2 mile section funded by a TAP grant, and there are 10 miles needed.
A RAISE grant for the 10 miles needed would pay for planning, engineering, and building. From what I have heard, right of way may be an issue and is not yet owned by any public entity. RAISE grants do not fund right of way acquisition.

Roanoke River Greenway Completion

The Roanoke River Greenway is planned to be 30 miles total. There are 13.8 miles built, multiple sections funded by TAP grants, and there are 17 miles needed with $22 million in projects on the TIP.
A RAISE grant for the remaining miles would pay for the sections on the TIP if that funding is uncertain. In the case of the greenway section to Explore Park, a RAISE grant could play a role in resolving design issues with VDOT. The area on the south side of Apperson is the most troublesome section I’ve heard of.

There are several less planned projects that might be viable within the next five years. These projects would require significant planning.

NW Hub

For many years there has been interest in developing a grocery store and other community needs in a hub space in northwest Roanoke. In 2021, the Roanoke City Council voted to direct $10 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to bring a shopping center to the neighborhood. At this point, there should be land acquisition occurring so that the hub can be developed. A grocery store is fairly large, so it will be interesting to see the ultimate site that is developed.
A RAISE grant would improve bicycle, pedestrian, and transit access between the northwest hub and other key community hubs, such as Downtown or Williamson/Valley View. Key components might be a shared use path on Shenandoah, crosswalks and a protected bike lane on Melrose, a protected bike lane on 24th Street, crosswalks and a protected bike lane on Salem Turnpike, and transit stop improvements. Hub site selection will impact most pertinent projects.
The NW Hub site is likely to be within a Historically Disadvantaged Community that is eligible for 100% federal funding. Every census tract in the near northwest except tract 24 is a Historically Disadvantaged Community.

Star City Circuit

The 2017 Downtown Neighborhood Plan proposed a Downtown Roanoke Urban Loop that would create a six mile system of safe routes connecting key neighborhoods in downtown Roanoke. In 2021, I proposed a version of this route for an AARP grant and called it the Star City Circuit. By connecting downtown to River’s Edge, Wasena, Grandin, Hurt Park, and the West End, the Star City Circuit is an incredible opportunity to create connections near downtown and build on Roanoke’s impressive Roanoke River Greenway by better connecting it to downtown.
A RAISE grant would pay for a protected bike lane on Jefferson Road as part of a road diet, a protected bike lane on Reserve, downtown intersection improvements, two-way bicycle improvements along Norfolk Ave, and a protected bike lane on Campbell Ave and/or Patterson Ave. There is likely to be some disagreement about route and design choices. The road diet on Jefferson Road is planned and 2.3 miles of the six mile route is built thanks to the Roanoke River Greenway.

There are lots of other discretionary grants aside from RAISE. For now, a brief idea about other grants and potential projects can be found on the last slide of my presentation.

Brandon Avenue Safety Improvements

Brandon Avenue between Colonial and Brambleton Avenue was scheduled to be milled and overlaid in June of 2021.

Brandon Avenue was scheduled to be milled and overlaid in 2021 no matter what. It was on Roanoke’s paving schedule, which is publicly accessible for the next three years. While not every road is repaved during the year that it is scheduled, Brandon Ave was going to be repaved in 2021. It is a major road, an arterial to one of the closest commercial complexes to downtown. Repaving Brandon Avenue is disruptive, most people in Roanoke would notice it, and it was scheduled for 2021.

On May 15, 2020 Mackenzie Byers was hit by a driver on Brandon Avenue and later died from injuries sustained in the crash. According to data from the Virginia Department of Transportation, at least two other pedestrians hit on Brandon Ave suffered incapacitating injuries between 2013 and 2020. Prior to Mackenzie’s death, it was unclear what the City of Roanoke would do when it repaved Brandon Avenue.

Mackenzie Byers’ death galvanized people asking for a safer Brandon Avenue. In surveys conducted by the City of Roanoke Transportation Department 63% of people indicated that they supported a road diet that eliminated one travel lane to provide for a turn lane and two buffered bike lanes. A crosswalk was placed close by the intersection where Mackenzie Byers was struck.

Brandon Ave in Feb 2022

Shallow sidewalk along Brandon Ave before repaving

Pedestrian pushbutton inaccessible from Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Brandon Avenue before repaving

Brandon Ave was identified as a priority corridor in the 2012 Bicycle Plan adopted by the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission and for several pedestrian improvements in the 2015 Pedestrian Plan. In repaving and restriping Brandon Avenue the city delivered on its recently adopted Comprehensive Plan that promises a Livable Built Environment and Healthy Community. The Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee held a site visit for Brandon Avenue. About a dozen people walked the length of Brandon Avenue from Towers Mall to the Main Street intersection. A couple biked the route and side streets. Bicycle and pedestrian deficiencies were noted, including:

A sidewalk on only one side of Brandon Ave.
A transit stop with a small waiting pad at Malcolm Street NW.
No bike lanes.
No crosswalks.
Limited crossing points at 23rd Street SW, including a pedestrian landing that does not connect to the sidewalk in front of Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

When Brandon Avenue was repaved it was striped with two travel lanes, two buffered bike lanes, and a center turn lane. At some points additional lanes are available to cars and trucks.

As a person who bikes regularly from Wasena to Towers Mall, the changes to Brandon Avenue change my experience and choices of how I ride.

I used to be scared to bike on Brandon Avenue, as I perceived that many people drove 35-40 mph when it was signed for 30 mph.
I used to be scared because there were no bike lanes, and that fast traffic was frustrated to be stuck behind me at 15-20 mph.
I used to regularly use Windsor Avenue, as described in this blog post, in order to avoid Brandon Avenue.

Now, when I bike to and from Towers Mall, I ride on Brandon Avenue:

It feels 30 mph now, with less speeding..
With the buffered bike lanes, I feel safer as traffic does not come up directly behind me.
With the bike lane going up the hill, I ride to the entrance in front of Kroger rather than taking the longer turn up 23rd Street SW.
It is legitimately nice to pass stopped traffic heading down the hill to the intersection at 23rd Street SW.
It still feels awkward between Malcolm Street and Main Street, due to overhanging trees that obscure traffic lights and shared lane markings.
Brandon Ave in Feb 2022

Overall, I’m honestly surprised how large of a difference the restriping made. It feels like a very different road. It feels safer. It feels like a place that I can include on a bike ride without having to warn a newer rider. It feels like a great response to one of the biggest dangers for people walking, two lanes of traffic in the same direction where one lane may stop and another may not. I hope this is a sign of things to come in Roanoke and the United States. Fewer lanes, lower speeds, more biking, more walking. Changing our streets is difficult, but it’s possible and Brandon Avenue is a great example of taking an opportunity to improve a street for the better.

How Roanoke can have the largest pop-up bike network in Virginia history

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Part of that lapse was working on a grant proposal for Roanoke Outside this spring. That grant proposal was one of over 3,000 for an AARP Community Challenge Grant and one of over 3,000 that were not funded.

My grant proposal was called the Star City Circuit. The Star City Circuit is a proposal for the largest pop-up bike network in Virginia history, connecting 6 miles of Roanoke with protected two-way bike lanes, existing bike infrastructure like the Roanoke River Greenway, and a downtown route of low-traffic streets. In concept, it is a demonstration of the Downtown Roanoke Urban Loop from the 2017 Downtown Neighborhood Plan and which I blogged about a year ago in July 2020.

Star City Circuit Map — Map of the 6 mile Star City Circuit proposal

My grant proposal for Roanoke Outside asked AARP for $10,000 to implement a one-day demonstration project. While the AARP email informing Roanoke Outside of not getting the grant did not provide feedback, my guesses for why the proposal did not receiving funding would be:

There was no local match for the $10,000 ask. Other grant programs, like the People For Bikes Community Grant, will not fund proposals asking for more than 50% of the funding required. For future success, local fundraising will likely be key.
Roanoke does not have a record of pop-up demonstration projects. While Roanoke does sometimes close streets for events, has a great chalk-up the city scene, and has an admirable record for safe street reconfigurations, there is little record of temporary street changes. Going from no record to the largest pop-up in Virginia history is a big jump.
The proposed design was not fully vetted by important stakeholders. Major sections of the proposed project pass directly by law enforcement agency offices and the largest employer in the region, Carilion Clinic, and I didn’t secure letters of support from either. Getting the support of both will likely be important for future success.

So, what is the Star City Circuit?

Well, as one project it is 6 miles of connected Greenway, two-way protected bike lanes, low-traffic streets, contraflow lanes, signs, and improved intersections. But, it’s probably best described as three improved corridors and one major intersection improvement.

First, the Star City Circuit is not possible without Roanoke’s existing bike infrastructure. It uses existing bike infrastructure for about 43% of its length, primarily the Roanoke River Greenway between Black Dog Salvage at Memorial Bridge and the River’s Edge Sports Complex.

Jefferson Street Corridor

Jefferson St Corridor of Star City Circuit

The easiest to implement improved corridor is Jefferson Street between Elmwood Park and River’s Edge. In this section, Jefferson Street is a road that meets federal criteria for a road diet – meaning that an existing travel lane can be repurposed without much negative effect on congestion – and that congestion may even be improved by converting an existing travel lane into a center turn lane. For the purpose of the Star City Circuit, and the proposed Downtown Urban Loop, this means that Jefferson Street can have its west-most lane converted to a two-way protected bike lane. With enough traffic cones, the west-most lane can be dedicated to people biking, walking, and scooting. At Reserve Road, this lane would use the slip lane to make a fully separated turn towards River’s Edge Park before connecting with the Roanoke River Greenway. By connecting River’s Edge Park, South 16 Apartments, and the Virginia Tech-Carilion Clinic Fralin Biomedical Research Institute to downtown, this is a potentially transformative link on its own.

Downtown Corridor

The next corridor is not, strictly speaking, a corridor. But it is the section of low-traffic streets from 3rd Street SW to 3rd Street SE that allows the Star City Circuit to navigate downtown without causing much disruption to downtown. The most direct route would use Campbell Avenue and Market Street to create a loop, but that would require repurposing probably 50-100 parking spaces downtown. Instead, to avoid displacing parking, the Star City Circuit proposal uses a somewhat meandering route that avoids car traffic. Going left-to-right, the proposal begins at Campbell Avenue and 3rd St SW, then goes on 3rd St SW towards the Virginia Museum of Transportation before turning onto Norfolk Ave SW and continuing on Norfolk Ave SW until it hits Campbell Ave SE, taking a quick right turn on Campbell Ave before a left onto 3rd St SE, then following 3rd St SE until it turns into Bullitt Ave SE and then the Elmwood Art Walk. This meandering route has the advantage of including the future downtown transit center, low-traffic on all segments except the quick half-block on Campbell Ave, and great potential for future development.

Campbell-Patterson Corridor

The final corridor is the most complicated and goes from 13th Street SW to 3rd Street SW. In those ten blocks there are several major challenges that require careful attention as a pop-up project and as a long-term project. The Star City Circuit proposal attempts to balance the issues, but this is a corridor where experience and feedback from the pop-up will be critical to the long-term solutions.

The biggest challenge in this corridor is the Y-intersection of Campbell Ave and Patterson Ave, where a man died in a motorcycle crash in 2020. This intersection has relatively higher traffic, a high-speed unprotected left turn, and an elevation change that creates visibility issues. The way that the Star City Circuit deals with this challenging intersection is by repurposing the northmost lane on Patterson Ave to avoid conflicts at the intersection and then switching sides of the road at 6th Street in order to better use space on the south side of Campbell Ave. The preference of the Mountain View Neighborhood Association, located on the West End of Campbell Ave, would be to use Campbell Ave the entire way. However, that is only possible by taking all of the parking spaces from 13th Street SW to 6th Street SW or making Campbell Ave a one-way street for that segment. Either of those solutions is complicated for a pop-up, but either could be possible in the long-term.

Another major challenge for the 13th Street SW to 3rd Street SW corridor, is the complex of the Roanoke City Jail, Roanoke City Sheriff Office, and Roanoke City Police Department between 4th Street SW and 3rd Street SW. In this section, there are about 8-10 parking spots reserved for law enforcement that likely need to be maintained for any demonstration project and for the long-term. The Star City Circuit deals with this by creating a parking protected bike lane that preserves these parking spots – the first parking protected bike lanes in Roanoke, and maybe the Roanoke-Alleghany Valley. While complicated to implement as a pop-up, this will allow the community to interact with, and react to, a new type of bike infrastructure that may be used in the future.

SE Roanoke Gateway Intersection

SE Gateway Measurements

SE Gateway Concept

The one major intersection improvement that deserves attention is at 3rd Street SE and Tazewell Ave SE. This intersection is currently between a wide four-lane road in Tazewell Ave SE and a smaller two lane road in 3rd Street SE. There are sweeping corners and no crosswalks despite a bus stop and good foot traffic as the closest access between SE Roanoke and downtown. In the Star City Circuit proposal, this intersection is calmed through large painted curb extensions, crosswalks, and small median islands. It is also an ideal intersection for a pop-up tent and potential future development.

And, that’s the essence of the proposal. As far as I can tell, if this proposal is implemented it would be the largest pop-up bike network in Virginia history and likely one of the 5 or 10 largest in US history. While there are some complicated parts, there’s nothing stopping this from being implemented.

Next steps for this project are still in flux. I’m looking to do local fundraising and I’m looking to do a smaller project to test pop-up materials such as temporary street paint. If you’re interested in this project, please reach out!

Thirteenth Street Revisited

Earlier this year, I wrote about how I think the city of Roanoke’s plan for a large roundabout on 13th Street SE is bad and will make bicycling worse for no clear benefit. In 2020, the city submitted a new version of this project to Virginia’s SmartScale funding program – Project ID: 13th Street Southeast Improvements.

This new application is much improved.

They Changed the Roundabout for the better

The biggest difference is the change from a multi-lane roundabout to a single-lane roundabout. This should make a big difference for bicyclists using the well-traveled route from downtown Roanoke to Fallon Park along Campbell/Wise Ave. A single-lane roundabout is much easier to navigate as a bicyclist as there are fewer conflict points.
The single-lane roundabout also does not have a slip lane for motorists, which was a feature in the 2017 version of this project that would have created a conflict point between speeding motorists and bicyclists exiting the roundabout.
While the single-lane roundabout design is a big improvement, the city should still pay close attention to the design of the roundabout to make sure that it prioritizes safety and low speeds. It is hard to tell from the drawings associated with the project if the city plans to provide ramps for bicyclists who would prefer to cross the roundabout as a pedestrian rather than riding through like a vehicle.

This is the roundabout proposed in 2017 for Wise and 13th with slip lanes.

13th Street Roundabout from 2020 SmartScale Application

It’s unclear how this project affects Dale Ave – which could be a great bike boulevard

The current available drawings only go to Church Ave, a few blocks from the intersection of 13th Street and Dale Ave. I think Dale Ave has the potential to be a great bike route and provide a lower traffic and lower speed alternative to Campbell/Wise Ave. Currently, due to past ambitions to make 13th Street a higher speed four lane arterial roadway, the intersection of 13th Street and Dale Ave has a lot of empty space and could be made significantly safer. Due to the available drawings not including this intersection it is impossible to tell what the city might do.

The project has bike lanes, but doesn’t try to be great for bikes

The typical cross-section for 13th Street in the application shows five foot bike lanes and 11 foot travel lanes, with a median island of up to 15 feet. I think there are three ways this misses an opportunity to provide better bicycle facilities for people:

Bike Lanes Should Not Include Gutters

The five foot bike lane includes three feet of bike lane and two feet of gutter. Unless done very well this will create a less smooth facility over time and decrease the usable area to less than five feet. It would be better to have at least four feet of bike lane excluding the gutter pan.

Repurpose Median Width to Better Bike Lanes

Medians can be great and can help create a pleasant and safe environment through tree canopy. But, a 15 foot median is more than is needed for any turning movement of a car in a turn lane and I would prefer larger bike lanes, or striped bike lane buffers, instead of excess median space. The FHWA Bikeway Selection Guide puts this street right on the border between buffered bike lanes and separated bike lanes as a preferred bike facility.

Narrower Lanes for Low Speed

The cross section has 11 foot travel lanes. This is typical of Roanoke, but is likely to make some drivers speed. Going below 11 feet might allow a larger bike lane that didn’t rely on the gutter pan for 40% of its width.

13th Street cross-section with median

13th Street cross-section without median

This is still a pretty low scoring project on Virginia SmartScale, scoring 1.4. That score gives it a state rank of 250 and a district rank of 25. This might be a slight improvement from the last round and may reflect that this is a less ambitious project – because it does not include the bridge over railroad tracks proposed in 2017. That bridge would probably add at least $10 million to the project cost and was one of ten priorities stated by 2020 Mayoral Candidate David Bowers. While the Virginia SmartScale doesn’t see a lot of value in this project, it appears that city leadership may see value due to this second application and was a stated priority by a political challenger.

Update: David Bowers was defeated in the Nov. 3rd election.

A Proposal for another Lick Run Greenway bridge

The City of Roanoke has done a great job of investing in its Greenway system and creating greenways that help connect the city. These investments include the impressive Lick Run Greenway bridge over I-581 that connects northwest Roanoke to the Valley View Mall.

To maximize the Lick Run Greenway, one more bridge is needed.

Avoid a Dangerous Intersection

View of Orange Ave Intersection

Close-up of pole with pushbuttons

View of Orange Ave Intersection from trail

Currently, the Lick Run Greenway has an awkward and dangerous intersection for people biking and walking that separates northwest Roanoke from downtown Roanoke. At the intersection of Orange Ave NW and Gainsboro Rd NW/Burrell St NW people using the Lick Run Greenway must cross between 8 and 10 lanes of traffic using two crosswalk legs with zero pedestrian signal phases or signal faces. There are pedestrian pushbuttons, but they are located on poles in grass, making them difficult to reach if you are biking. Without signal faces, the pushbuttons also do not provide any benefit, unless they subtly change signal timing. Even when used, I have waited more than a minute to be able to cross with the light, which is significant when the segment from Brown-Robertson Park to Downtown takes about 15 minutes according to Google. In my opinion, this intersection is one of the reasons that Google maps does not recommend using the Lick Run Greenway to access Downtown by bike from Brown-Robertson Park.

A bridge over Orange Ave NW to the field of the Booker T. Washington School Administration building could significantly improve the safety and comfort of bicyclists going between downtown and northwest Roanoke on the Lick Run Greenway. There could then be an improved mid-block crossing on Burrell St NW where it is a wide two lane road to connect the bridge to the Lick Run Greenway coming out of Washington Park (Burrell St NW could also use some traffic calming, additional crosswalks to the park, and continuous sidewalks).

Potentially Easier to Build than other Bridges

A bridge at this location would likely be shorter in distance and height than the MLK Bridge downtown. It seems likely that its cost would be less than the $3.5 million to complete that bridge. Its possible that a bridge at this location would cost less than the $800,000 that it took to complete the Lick Run Greenway bridge over I-581. Both sides of Orange Ave are slightly elevated over the roadway, which should help to reduce bridge costs. The city should consider spending enough to incorporate signage that currently overhangs the road at this alignment and to create an appropriate gateway to northwest Roanoke that recognizes its historic significance to the city and how many transportation investments have served to marginalize rather than improve the community.

This bridge would save minutes for every person looking to walk or bike on the Lick Run Greenway between downtown and northwest Roanoke or Valley View Mall. This bridge would make every person making that trip safer by avoiding 6 to 8 lanes that would otherwise need to be crossed and only crossing a lower speed, lower volume road. This bridge would be an investment in reconnecting Roanoke where so many historical investments have made it more difficult for Roanoke’s communities to connect.

Maybe name it after Edward Dudley, America’s first Black ambassador, who grew up on Gilmer Avenue in Roanoke. It seems appropriate that a bridge making connections be named after a man who lived a life of bringing people together through diplomacy and was an avid Bridge card player.

Potential path of bridge using natural elevation

Potential path of bridge

Current Lick Run Bridge over 581

Not in Current Plans

Right now, this investment is not on the Roanoke Greenway Plan or the RVARC Bike Plan as far as I can tell. This investment should be added in the next opportunity to update those plans and be a part of Roanoke’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan. There’s no good way to have a major greenway include an at-grade crossing of a major arterial roadway and 8 to 10 lanes of traffic. A bridge is the only way to truly make the Lick Run Greenway a transportation facility for biking and walking and create a safe and comfortable experience.

There are some projects in the RVARC Bike Plan that could change this intersection, but it is hard to believe that anything less than a bridge will provide a high quality, low-stress, experience. An unspecified improvement on Burrell Street from Orange to Liberty is on the Priority List. An unspecified improvement on Gainsboro Road from Orange to Gilmer is on the Priority List. An unspecified improvement on Orange Avenue from 5th Street to Williamson is on the Vision list. Hopefully, this post helps specify the best possible improvement for the Lick Run Greenway at this intersection – a bridge.