For our first site specific proposal, we would like to propose a pedestrian and bike friendly path to connect East and West Roanoke.  As stated earlier, the addition of I-581 or Route 220 physically divided East and West Roanoke. This made it hard for folks to commute to and from downtown Roanoke and limited their access to valuable resources such as the Hospital and medical clinic located in West Roanoke.

 

When the current bridge on Elm Ave. was built over 581, it connected east and west Roanoke again.  The bridge was a vital addition to Roanoke, and it became the busiest and most used thruway in the city.  However the bridge doesn’t support pedestrian and bike traffic to the fullest.

 

Therefore we would like to propose these immediate impacts that can be implemented by the City of Roanoke.

Some of the immediate impacts are as follows: (Figure 1)

• Improving the pedestrian walking path by creating a barrier between vehicles and people, incorporating bollards or a concrete wall.

• Adding sufficient lighting for pedestrian use.

• Adding proper signage and refinishing existing crosswalks, so they’re visible

• Adding green paint for a shared vehicle and bike lane.

 

These immediate changes, no matter how small, will give the residents of Belmont-Fallon a safer and more comfortable connection to downtown Roanoke.