ROANOKE, Va. – The Wasena Bridge is nearly a century old and this year, it’s set to be replaced.
That means people on two and four wheels should prepare for detours.
Star City native Andrew Gilbert just moved back home to Roanoke from Los Angeles. He lives in Wasena and frequents the skate park, but it won’t be here for long.
The city will demolish the skate park when it rebuilds the Wasena Bridge.
“This has been here so long, and I know a lot of people do care about this place,” said Andrew Gilbert.
Work on the bridge was set to start in May of 2022 but was pushed back to the fall. Councilman Joe Cobb said that the pandemic and the review process delayed the timeline.
In a statement to 10 News, city officials said, “We plan to advertise this project to solicit bids from contractors late this month or early July. With this timeline, we expect construction to begin in the fall season.”
Built in 1938, the bridge is now considered “structurally deficient” and needs to be replaced. City Council approved $24 million for the project, and construction is expected to take 2.5 years.
“I think it’s great that they’re doing this. It’s unfortunate that we’re going to have the traffic issues and stuff like that. But that’s one of the things that we’ll just, kind of, have to deal with as we progress,” said Ryan Harris, who lives in Salem and walks on Roanoke River Greenway daily.
The city says the Roanoke River Greenway under the bridge will remain “open and accessible for the vast majority of the project.”
Fred Abbott bikes on the Greenway every day he can.
“It would be a hardship for a while, but we’ll have a new bridge when they get through,” said Abbott.
The city is evaluating options for a new skatepark. Councilman Cobb tells 10 News the city has plans to fully fund a new skate park.