The low water bridge on Wiley Drive in Roanoke doesn’t carry a lot of vehicle traffic. But its design makes it subject to flooding more and more often during an era of increasingly intense weather events.
"Our infrastructure wasn’t really built for some of the weather patterns that we’re seeing now," Senator Tim Kaine said during an announcement at the bridge Wednesday. "So when you have flooding here it not only gets in the way of natural enjoyment but it also means that a neighborhood like Wasena gets hammered."
Flood resilience is one reason Kaine and Virginia's other U. S. Senator, Mark Warner, got $2.5 million in federal money to start working on a replacement.
The other reason is the bridge’s role in the greenway and blueway system. Walkers, bikers and runners cross it every day. But for paddlers on the Roanoke River, its design is a hindrance. And for a region staking its brand on outdoor recreation, that’s important, Warner says. "The fact that you’ve got a world class community, but also a world class community that takes advantage of its physical location. And having this greenway right through the center of the city is remarkable," Warner said Wednesday.
On Monday, Roanoke City Council is expected to start the process of replacing the bridge. It was not in the city's capital improvement plan before the funding was secured, city manager Bob Cowell said. Design, bidding and construction will likely take a couple of years.
Warner and Kaine are making a series of stops across the western part of the state this week, mainly touting investments made possible by the recent infrastructure act. On Tuesday, Warner was in Botetourt County, recognizing the deployment of broadband to hundreds of homes and businesses in the largely rural county.
Virginia is ahead of many states in its effort to provide better internet access, Warner said. "If we don't get, within the next two to three years, 95 to 98% of all Virginians covered with high speed, affordable broadband, it's a screwup in execution not funding. Because we've got plenty of money in the till and part of that comes out of the infrastructure bill."