For nearly two years, many people headed to Roanoke’s Wasena neighborhood have had to find a different way to get there — and local businesses say they’ve paid the price.

Project manager Josephus Johnson-Koroma told 10 News that construction is around 80% complete and is hopeful to have it done by this summer

An unexpected December snowfall transformed Wasena’s hillsides into bustling sledding spots Thursday, while local outdoor retailers saw a surge in winter gear sales as parents rushed to outfit growing children.

Construction is underway for the Wasena skate park in Roanoke City. Crews are currently focused on installing an underground stormwater system and will soon begin shaping the terrain and setting elevations for skatepark features.

The Wasena Bridge reconstruction project in Roanoke has reached a significant milestone, with officials reporting the project is 65% complete and on schedule for its anticipated summer completion date.

Construction on both the In-River Park and Skatepark in Wasena is slated to begin Wednesday morning.

A bittersweet celebration. The Wasena neighborhood forum brought the party for the Wasena Bridge Bonanza before it's shutdown for construction later this month.

After years of delays, the Wasena bridge replacement project is back on track.

The Wasena Bridge replacement project is set to begin, after over three years of setbacks.

More plans are in the works for the Wasena bridge project, including the addition of a roundabout.

The Spooky Sprint will be on Saturday, Oct. 29 starting at Wasena Park at 9 a.m.

Wasena Weekend is designed to drive business to local restaurants and shops.

The Wasena Bridge is nearly a century old and this year it’s set to be replaced.

Flavors like strawberry birthday cake, peppermint cashew chip and blueberry jalapeño line the unique menu at Créme Fresh

Crews are currently on the scene of a house fire in Roanoke's Wasena neighborhood.

There’s a new local coffee shop to check out in the town of Vinton.

ROANOKE, Va. – The Virginia Museum of Transportation started reviving a piece of Roanoke’s rail history Sunday afternoon. Volunteers began clearing a stretch of track in Wasena Park, known as the beltline, of plants and debris. It’s so important to keep the knowledge passed down from one generation to another.”Volunteers begin clearing an abandoned rail track at Wasena Park in Roanoke. The beltline is owned by the museum and is where the museum first started in 1963. This is the first step in a long journey.”AdThe museum plans to return to Wasena Park at least once a month to work on the track.

ROANOKE, Va. – UPDATE - Dec. 27, 2020 at 6:22 p.m.A shooting in Southwest Roanoke Saturday night terrified neighbors and left a house riddled with bullet holes. The house has at least ten bullet holes and a neighbor picked up some rounds from the scene. Another neighbor further down the street described the incident as a terrifying five seconds. Officers located evidence of a shooting and property damage to a residence, but no injuries have been reported. 10 News went to the scene to find at least 10 bullet holes on the house left from last night’s incident.

ROANOKE Va. – UPDATE - 2:24 p.m. Dec. 09, 2020Crews are again out searching for the person swept away this past weekend. Crews are on the ground and in the water continuing the search for the missing man that was swept into the Roanoke River. Water levels on the Roanoke River created difficult conditions for visibility, according to Roanoke Fire-EMS. ORIGINAL STORYCrews in Roanoke are working to locate a person after they fell into the Roanoke River just after 6:00 Saturday night. Crews are using both a drone and boats to try and locate the person swept away by the water.

ROANOKE, Va. Hang 10 rode the wave into the Wasena neighborhood just two weeks ago, and its been a hit ever since. Other popular items that are unique to Hang 10 include Dole Whip. Come try some Strawberry Dole Whip available today! Come Hang 10 with us Posted by HANG 10 on Thursday, August 27, 2020Then, theres the incredible smell that wafts from the waffle maker. In addition to their homemade waffle cones, Hang 10 makes an ice cream taco with the waffle batter as the shell.

ROANOKE, Va. A brand-new shop specializing in Hawaiian ice and island-flavored ice cream is now open in Roanokes Wasena neighborhood. Hang 10 is holding its grand opening on Tuesday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.GRAND OPENING!! We are so excited to announce our opening day is this Tuesday, August 18th, from 12pm-9pm. If youre not in the mood for an icy treat, they also sell Dole soft serve in flavors like pineapple, mango, lemon, orange, raspberry, lime and cherry. Moving forward it will be open Tuesday to Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

ROANOKE, Va. Its still hot so were hitting the river! Were floating a stretch of the Roanoke River where youll put in at Bridge Street at the Roanoke Greenway parking lot, and pull out at the bridge in front of the River House in Wasena. Once everything is blown up, youll walk down a short path to the river. I promise we checked the forecast before we went- but its a summer in Roanoke, we all know how this story goes! After a little rain this week, it took us about an hour and a half.

Published: May 19, 2020, 3:49 pm Updated: May 19, 2020, 8:41 pmROANOKE, Va. – The outage has been fixed, according to Appalachian Power. More than 1,200 Appalachian Power customers in Roanoke are without power on Tuesday afternoon. The estimated restoration time for these customers is 7:30 p.m., according to Appalachian Power. As of 5:14 p.m., there were 1,227 customers with outages. The outage map includes (but is not limited to) areas from Grandin Village to Wasena to downtown Roanoke.

ROANOKE, Va. – Saturday night’s storms gave way to a clear and sunny Sunday, and people took to the Roanoke River Greenway to take advantage of it. Temperatures reached the 60s in Roanoke Sunday afternoon, which is unseasonably warm for the region at this time of the year. The runoff from Saturday night’s storms made the water under the bridge connecting Wasena and Smith parks too dangerous for cars. However, pedestrians and bikers were still able to enjoy the greenway and the weather. It’s a lot like Colorado," said Kevin and Jeannie Edwards, who experienced the greenway for the first time on Sunday.

ROANOKE, Va. - A woman was found dead in the Wasena area of Roanoke, police say. On Thursday around 7:30 p.m., Roanoke police responded to a report of a dead body found in a wooded area near the 1500 block of Wasena Avenue Southwest. Roanoke police and the medical examiner identified the woman and have notified her family. You can also text Roanoke police at 274637. Copyright 2019 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.

ROANOKE, Va. - A Roanoke neighborhood is celebrating 100 years young with a big party this weekend, and that means shopping discounts for you. Wasena is right across the Roanoke River from downtown. The River House apartments and Wasena Tap Room started the economic re-birth in the area about a decade ago. "I t all started when Ed Walker bought the ice house, and we were just excited to be able to walk to a restaurant," Wasena Neighborhood Forum Treasurer James Settle said. "And now we have four restaurants in the neighborhood and all kinds of cool businesses and more to come."

ROANOKE, Va. - Wednesday marked a big step toward bringing new life to an historic Star City neighborhood, as a new restaurant officially opened in Wasena. City leaders expect it to be a huge catalyst for revitalization. Since it opened about three weeks ago, the owner said it's had lots of community support, with lines of people sometimes stretching down the sidewalk. The restaurant, called Bloom, is expected to lead to lots of growth in Wasena that city leaders said the neighborhood hasn't seen since the 1960s. A new coffee lounge opened across the street just before Bloom, joining other new businesses along main street.