Monday, September 28, 2009
Editorial: A gallop for the greenway
The Roanoke River Greenway is exactly the kind of project the federal stimulus was meant to spur. The benefit will be long-lasting.
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
When Congress agreed earlier this year to pump hundreds of billions of stimulus dollars into the economy to halt the free-fall plunge into a major recession, it was hoped that the money would create a legacy beyond debt.
A legacy like that left by the New Deal that developed a national network of parks that are still used and still loved to this day.
The New Deal thought big.
So, too, should the federal government in naming stimulus projects.
We have in the Roanoke Valley a project that thinks big. It would create jobs during its construction, provide tens of thousands of people with recreational opportunities, add yet another selling point in attracting newcomers and serve as an alternative way for workers to commute without cars.
That project is the 25-mile Roanoke River Greenway. Segments of the greenway, mostly in Roanoke, are completed, and on many days are congested with users. Other sections, in the city and in Salem, have some funding. But great lengths, about 10 miles of path and a handful of bridges, still await money. The will is there. Greenways top the want list for each locality along the river.
At the current pace, slowed like most projects because of the recession, another 18 years might pass before the greenway stretches from Green Hill Park west of Salem to Explore Park in Roanoke County.
Stimulus funds could slice 16 years off the project if the Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission is successful in winning a $19.4 million grant through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery.
We don't know how many or which regions of the country are competing for this pool of funds. We do know that our region should stand out from the pack.
The Roanoke River Greenway isn't a whim, created to seek a federal handout. The project meets the shovel-ready test. The only thing standing between the 6.7 miles of finished trail and its completion is the funding to negotiate the remaining rights-of-way and to build the path.
It's a much-desired regional project in which people, localities and businesses have been willing to invest. The recreational benefits are evident. So, too, is the potential for economic stimulus as access to the river is opened up, allowing businesses to sprout up in support.
It is a project tailor-made for today's stimulus funds that decades from now will remain a vital, vibrant part of our community.
