ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke River Greenway is growing.
“Once this piece is done, it will put as right at 100 miles of paved and natural surface trails within our park system,” said Michael Clark, the Director of Roanoke Parks and Recreation.
Roanoke Parks and Recreation launched a $6.1 million initiative to close a gap in the Greenway. The project started earlier this month and is expected to take 18 months to finish.
“Construction is taking place between Bridge Street in the Norwich neighborhood and connecting over to the Norfolk Southern Materials Yard near Aerial Way.”
It includes a mile-long section of trail connecting to the existing Greenway and improvements to parking. It will also have a bridge that crosses the Roanoke River.
“Interesting fact, the bridge at 270 feet will be the longest bridge in our Greenway system, so that’s a pretty neat feature that we have there,” Clark added.
The area in Norwich is the missing link in the Roanoke River Greenway. Once this project is complete the end result will be a continuous Greenway for miles.
“This is the last piece that connects our portion of the Roanoke River Greenway, so from the city of Salem to Roanoke County.”
Aside from the recreational benefits of it, like having an opportunity to ride a bike, run or walk, Clark says the construction is about connecting communities.