A portion of Riverland Road in Roanoke will be closed to through traffic to allow construction to begin on pedestrian improvements on a section of Riverland Road and the Star Trail parking lot.
Drivers are being asked to follow signed detours and use Ninth Street, Jamison Road and 13th Street.
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Construction will bring about a new sidewalk and a pedestrian connection from the Garden City Greenway to the Star Trail.
The Star Trail gravel parking lot is one of the main focuses of the construction, as paving the lot will allow the city to put down important markings to make parking easier.
“Currently, it’s a gravel parking lot with no sight lighting,” City Engineer Luke Pugh said. “So we’re going to pave the parking lot, we’re going to put in landscaping, put up sight lighting to really enhance the pedestrian experience and enhance the connectivity among our greenways.”
One of the first things that will be put down is a large-scale drainage system and a stormwater quality BMP—also known as a best management practice—to help deal with any stormwater that runs down the hill.
“Currently, we have a lot of runoff that comes down Mill Mountain. It’s not contained. It causes some erosion along the trail, along the parking lot, and along the roadside,” Pugh said. “So creating that storm drain system conveying the storm water runoff from up top at the parking is really a key element of the project also.”
Construction will get started on April 20, which is when the city will start laying down the storm drain structures, with an estimated completion window for this fall.
The project will cost $2.8 million and will be funded through the Regional Surface Transportation Program, the High Infrastructure Program and a local city match.