It can be hard to find a parking spot in the block of Bullitt Avenue between the Roanoke Public Library and the Social Security Building. And soon, all of the spaces will disappear, with pavers replacing the asphalt and outdoor art in place of the automobiles.
The improvements to Elmwood Park will eliminate 27 parking spaces, but the city is creating 36 new ones on streets nearby.
Chris Morrill is Roanoke's City Manager. "If one space is eliminated you hear concerns," Morrill told us Friday morning, "and so what we've tried to do is help people understand that our goal is really to increase parking overall and just have it located in the right area."
Around the corner, work on the new Elmwood Park amphiteater continues. Crews have been moving dirt, placing underground utilities and laying the concrete for the stage and seating area.
And Project Manager Charlie Anderson says there's more work to come. "Over the next couple of months you'll see a lot more activity in terms of other subcontractors being on site," Anderson told us. "Steel work, masonry work will all start, the street work, we'll start seeing paver people in here, so you'll see a lot more activity all over the park."
Bullitt Avenue will close on March 11th. The amphitheater and the other improvements remain on schedule, and the project is scheduled to be complete by the end of August.
Here is the text of the city's news release:
ROANOKE, VA - As part of the Elmwood Park Improvement Project, the
City of Roanoke announces that construction plans include closing
Bullitt Avenue in order to create a pedestrian artwalk in that
location. The road closing will take place on the morning of March
11. As a result, on-street parking will be impacted.
While 27 existing parking spaces on Bullitt Avenue will be
eliminated, the city has taken the initiative to create 36 new
permanent on-street parking spaces:
• 17 two-hour parking spaces on the south side of Day Avenue, between
Jefferson Street and 1st Street
• 10 one-hour parking spaces on the south side of Bullitt Avenue
between Jefferson Street and 1st Street
• 9 one-hour parking spaces on the east side of Jefferson Street,
between Bullitt Avenue and Luck Avenue
With these additions, access to businesses on Jefferson Street and to
the park will be greatly improved for residents and visitors.
A street map showing the new on-street parking locations is posted on
the city's website. Click on the following link to access the map:
http://tiny.cc/83x9sw
