BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Town of Blacksburg is looking for feedback on the Prices Fork & 460 interchange in hopes of making it more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.
“It’s not like a sidewalk,” said Raynah Malek, a Virginia Tech student who lives off Prices Fork. “It’s very bumpy. It’s very makeshift.”
The Prices Fork-460 intersection is one of the busiest intersections in all of Blacksburg.
“You also have to cross over the top of the highway which is a little skeevy,” said Jasmine Pally, another Virginia Tech student who lives off Prices Fork. “The cars are getting off, it’s pretty dangerous if you were to walk.”
While there are thousands of people that live in the area, many said getting into the heart of town can be difficult if you miss the bus or do not have a car.
“I mean you can walk but not really,” said Julia Place, a Virginia Tech student who lives off Prices Fork. “I have only walked there like twice and I literally had to because the bus that went this route broke down.”
That is why the town officials are asking for people’s input on how to fix the intersection.
On one side of the road, there seems like plenty of space, but on the other side, there’s barely enough space for two people.
“I’ve been walking and then had a bike and I have to be next to each other because there is just not any room,” Malek said.
The plan is to add a ten-foot pedestrian/bike lane to accommodate all travelers.
From January through February, people in town can ask questions, and give their input on what will work best in the area.
They then plan to use this data to present a design in March to the public.
Every student I talked to said they would love to have an easier way to walk or ride to campus.
“We were just talking about how walking to campus would be nice,” said Malek and Pally. “Especially on a nice day out like today. To walk to campus would be awesome.”
Officials from the town said this is just the beginning stages of this project. The project manager tells us since the Prices Fork Road interchange is owned and maintained by VDOT, any proposed improvements would require their approval.