A new half-mile stretch of greenway on Elizabeth Campus, part of a larger project that will eventually connect Main Street to Salem Stadium, was completed in the fall.
The new trail runs along Lynchburg Turnpike, wraps around the soccer fields and tennis courts, and continues along parts of Kime Lane and Idaho Street at either end. The City of Salem funded the project through federal grants that are distributed to localities through the Virginia Department of Transportation, City Engineer Will Simpson said.
The second phase of this project will pick up the greenway where it ends on Idaho Street and wind it through the middle of Elizabeth Campus to Salem Stadium. It will also include a designated place to cross Texas Street, Simpson said.
“We've enjoyed working with the college on this,” Simpson said. “It's a mutually beneficial project for both of us, and for everybody, really.”
In the future, the city plans to install high visibility pedestrian crossings at Idaho Street and Lynchburg Turnpike, connecting the greenway on Elizabeth Campus to Main Street through East Hill Cemetery. Once this is completed, along with the second phase of the greenway project, there will be a designated route to walk or bike all the way from the main campus to Salem Stadium.
Imperative one of “Imagine Roanoke,” the college’s strategic plan, seeks to reenvision the campus Main Street corridor as a hub to live, learn, work and play, integrating Roanoke College with the City of Salem. The city and the college have a strong, longstanding town-gown relationship, as exemplified by projects like the greenway at Elizabeth Campus.
“Roanoke College is committed to being a caring and contributing neighbor to the City of Salem. Allowing the Salem greenway to move forward on our campus is something that will benefit all of Salem, not just the students living on Elizabeth Campus,” Catherine Potter, advisor to the president and general counsel, said.
The greenway is open to the public and provides nearby residents with a walking path to the YMCA, Salem Montessori School and the various other businesses that surround Elizabeth Campus. Once the second phase is completed, those neighborhoods will also be connected to the James E. Taliaferro Sports and Entertainment Complex, allowing them to walk to football games, baseball games and other events like the Salem Fair.
This greenway will tie into the existing Mason Creek Greenway, a portion of which is already completed between Lynchburg Turnpike and Roanoke Boulevard. Once completed, the north end of that route will connect to Kessler Mill Road, and the south end will connect to the Roanoke River Greenway, Simpson said. A map of existing and future greenway routes in Salem can be found here.