ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Construction is underway to expand the East Roanoke River Greenway in Roanoke County.
The two-mile expansion will run parallel to Highland Road, cross underneath the Blue Ridge Parkway, and extend to Explore Park.
The nearly $4 million project is funded through federal, state, and local dollars from the Federal Lands Access Program, the Transportation Alternatives Program, and funding from Roanoke County.
“The regional efforts have been underway for decades to extend the Roanoke River Greenway and provide the connectivity from the more urbanized areas out into the more rural areas of the counties. So it’s a great opportunity,” said Lindsay Webb, the parks planning and development manager for Roanoke County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism
The proposed greenway will include an eight to 10-foot-wide asphalt greenway, a small trailhead parking lot at the corner of Rutrough and Highland Roads, connection to the Back Creek Valley Overlook located on the Roanoke River Parkway, and connectivity to Explore Park.
The greenway will traverse through two existing tunnels, the closed Roanoke Regional landfill, and includes retaining walls, signs, fencing, drainage improvements, and other appurtenances.
Construction should be finished by the end of next year.