Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, December 23, 1993                   TAG: 9312230050
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SMOOTH SAILING TO THE LAKE

For that to happen, he said, access to the lake needs to be improved.

Bowers said the place to start is Virginia 116, a road that winds its way through the city, across Windy Gap Mountain in Franklin County, and on to the lake.

"We need a more direct route to the lake. We need a better approach to [Virginia 116] from the southern part of the city," Bowers said.

Virginia 116 follows Jefferson Street, Walnut Avenue, Piedmont Street, Riverland Road and Mount Pleasant Boulevard as it leaves the city.

Because of Bowers' concerns about lake access, City Council has delayed action on a proposed 20-year thoroughfare plan.

The plan calls for realignment of the intersection of Virginia 116, Bennington Street and Mount Pleasant Boulevard, but there are no proposals for major improvements to the highway.

Bowers said he has no specific route in mind, but there are several possibilities to provide better lake access.

"At a minimum, we need to cut out the jackleg at Walnut Avenue, Piedmont [Street] and Riverland Road," Bowers said.

"We want lake residents to come to Roanoke, and we need to make it more convenient for them."

City Manager Bob Herbert said he did not know whether there was enough traffic on Virginia 116 to justify major construction.

The city's highway funds for the next six years have been committed to projects that already have been approved by City Council, he said.

Those projects include Peters Creek Road extension, Brandon Avenue widening, 10th Street widening, Fifth Street bridge, Wells Avenue realignment, Second Street and Gainsboro Road.

As a result of Bowers' concerns, Traffic Engineer Bob Bengtson said city officials were taking another look at the lake access to see if any improvements could be made sooner.

The thoroughfare plan gives high priority to improving the Interstate 581 and Elm Avenue interchange and widening the Webber Highway corridor.

Better access to Smith Mountain Lake also might make it easier to travel to Explore Park, Bowers said.

Rupert Cutler, director of Explore, said one of the best ways to reach the park would be a shuttle bus from Jefferson Street and Walnut Avenue to Fishburn Parkway and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Council members said they also had reservations about another proposal in the thoroughfare plan - moving the southbound exit ramp on Webber Highway at Wonju Street and Colonial Avenue south to Overland Road.

Moving the exit would take traffic away from Towers Shopping Center, Councilman John Edwards said. "I think we need to keep it at Towers," he said.