Several proposed routes for new sections of possible greenway extensions into Botetourt County are among the items citizens are invited to comment on during a Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission (RVGC) open house Thursday, April 19 from 4-7 p.m. at the Berglund Center in Roanoke.
The RVGC is holding the open house so the public can review the draft of its proposed Update Plan. That plan includes greenway additions in the Cloverdale, Daleville, Blue Ridge and Buchanan areas of Botetourt.
While some paths in the greenway plan amount to identifying existing paths, others like the proposed Tinker Creek Greenway extension into Botetourt and the Daleville Greenway are complicated.
The draft plan, though, tries to address those complications and offer different scenarios for adding greenway miles to the Roanoke Valley system.
The Tinker Creek Greenway Study Area includes areas along Tinker Creek from the Roanoke River in Roanoke to Botetourt Center at Greenfield.
The idea is to connect Botetourt and the rest of the Roanoke Valley through the walking/biking paths. Botetourt upped its involvement in this process when it was admitted to the RVGC in 2016.
There are several options discussed in the draft plan for developing the Tinker Creek Greenway in Roanoke from Roanoke into Botetourt County.
One of the challenges is getting across I-81. The draft plan offers three options:
Three options were identified:
- Option A: Tinker Mountain Route. Cross under I-81 near Hollins University and continue
on the northwest side of I-81 to Tinker Creek overpass
- Option B: Lee Highway road corridor. Highway corridor from Hollins University to
Cloverdale and I-81 Tinker Creek overpass
- Option C: Lee Highway, back roads and overland route. Use Lee Highway
corridor but route off highway where feasible.
The draft plan also offers three alternatives for extending the Tinker Creek Greenway to Botetourt Center at Greenfield once it crosses I-81.
Those include: Trail Alignment Alternatives:
Three alignments were identified:
- Option A: Use the Tinker Creek stream corridor to Daleville with some road connections
- Option B: Use Roanoke Road corridor
- Option C: Use the Tinker Creek stream corridor to Greenfield, with some road connections.
The draft plan offers more details on possible routes along with planning considerations that will have to be dealt with.
A greenway from Daleville Town Center to Botetourt Center at Greenfield, where trails are already established, also has its challenges because of right-of-way needs.
The draft plan also brings in possible greenway trails in the Buchanan area. One recommendation is to have a trail or trails that connect the Appalachian Trail and the nearby Jefferson National Forest with Buchanan’s downtown. The plan also identifies a trail along the James River in Buchanan Town Park as a conceptual James River Greenway.
The draft plan and maps are posted at www.greenways.org.
