Thursday, November 22, 2012
Southeast Roanoke roundabout takes shape
VDOT and city officials said the Riverland Road project is on schedule to be finished in July.
A roundabout is taking shape in southeast Roanoke, although it will be summer before traffic flows through it.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has been working since March on the project to streamline traffic at a dicey intersection near the Roanoke River. Workers are building the roundabout at the intersection of Riverland Road, Bennington Street and Mount Pleasant Boulevard.
"People are going to be seeing them pouring concrete and paving through the winter," said VDOT spokeswoman Jamie Smith. "The majority of paving will take place in the spring when the weather warms up."
The $8.4 million project is on time and scheduled to be finished by July, Smith said.
In the meantime, the construction and detours have caused some frustration for motorists during busy times of the day, though Roanoke Transportation Manager Mark Jamison said he's received only a few complaints.
"There's a three-way stop in place right now, and people say this works a whole lot better than it ever did before," Jamison said.
After the work is complete, a fire signal light will be placed by the Fire-EMS station on Riverland Road that will stop traffic when emergency vehicles need to get out. A similar light is already in place by the New Station 1 Fire-EMS Headquarters at the intersection of Franklin Road and Elm Ave.
Jamison said a temporary fire signal is already up by Fire Station No. 11 on Riverland Road now.
The roundabout project also includes the construction of 1,000 feet of 8-foot-wide sidewalk on Riverland Road and 1,600 feet of 5-foot-wide sidewalk on Bennington and Mount Pleasant. Some of the new sidewalk and curb and gutter already has been built along Bennington near the Super Save IGA.
