The U.S. Postal Service has cut nearly in half a list of facilities it was reviewing for closure and, in doing so, reduced the number of Roanoke Valley locations that were under the gun from five to two.

In early August, the Postal Service named nearly 700 postal stations as candidates for closing or consolidation -- including those in downtown Roanoke on Church Avenue and at Hollins University, as well as branches on Grandin and Williamson roads and Melrose Avenue.

On Wednesday, a revised list of 413 locations was issued and, locally, only the Hollins and Williamson locations remain under consideration. Just two other Virginia locations, in Hampton and Norfolk, are still on the list.

The Postal Service has been struggling with a sharp decline in mail volume as customers increasingly rely on e-mail for communication and the Internet for bill paying.

Postal officials have said the agency is facing a potential loss of $7 billion this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, despite increases in stamp costs, staff cuts and a reduction in collection boxes.

Cathy Yarosky, a Postal Service spokeswoman, said Wednesday the list is being modified and she anticipated it would change again. She said she could not rule out the possibility that stations could be added back onto the list.

"Those offices that are no longer on the list are not being considered right now," she said, "But it could get larger."

Yarosky declined to say whether the stations that remain on the list will definitely close.

"I don't know whether the studies on them have actually been started," she said. "We're going to take every station and branch on a case-by-case basis."

No action will be taken until Oct. 2 at the earliest, she said.

The Postal Service operates nearly 37,000 branches and stations across the country.

A news release issued this week by the Postal Service said mail volume this year is projected to be about 170 billion pieces, 20 billion fewer pieces than were delivered during 2008.

To view the complete list, visit: www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/stationbranchop.pdf

The Associated Press contributed information to this story.