ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, December 24, 1996             TAG: 9612240100
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-3  EDITION: METRO 

WALNUT AVE. GETS ON-TIME PRESENT

Santa won't have to fly over the Walnut Avenue bridge on his way to Mill Mountain tonight. He can drive his reindeer.

The bridge, closed for repairs since December 1995, reopened Monday on time and on budget, city spokeswoman Michelle Bono said. The portion of the bridge that crosses the Roanoke River was dismantled and replaced at a cost of $2 million.

"This in some ways is like a Christmas present to citizens who live in the area, as well as those who welcome the bridge's reopening as an easier way to get to Mill Mountain," Bono said.

Some minor work will be completed during the next two months, but the bridge should not be closed to traffic, she said.

In addition to the bridge replacement, the city also installed lights similar to those originally on the bridge when it was built in 1890.

The bridge was raised in the mid-1920s to join a new bridge over the railroad tracks. Both spans, which have been repaired numerous times, now appear to be one bridge.

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