JEANNA DUERSCHERL The Roanoke Times

The Roanoke Parks and Recreation Department held a dedication Tuesday for the newly finished segment of the greenway. It connects portions that have been separated for about a year.

It's a short section, but a big gateway.

Tuesday afternoon, city and private officials faced down tooth-rattling, 27-degree temperatures to dedicate a piece of the Roanoke River Greenway that measures a mere 600 feet.

"It's not the greatest or longest piece ... but it is very important," said Steve Buschor, Roanoke's director of parks and recreation, before a ribbon-cutting that opened a portion of the greenway near Belleview Avenue and Hamilton Terrace in Southeast Roanoke, across from Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

"It is the missing link," Mayor David Bowers agreed.

The section connects two existing lines of the greenway -- a roughly two-mile stretch that reaches west to Wasena Park, and a three-mile path that runs east from Hamilton Terrace to the sewage treatment plant.

The two portions have been separated since their completion about a year ago, forcing bikers and pedestrians to navigate the sometimes congested intersection at the hospital entrance.

"It's been really a safety hazard as well as a frustration to people," said greenways coordinator Liz Belcher. She called the new addition "a huge safety improvement."

City Engineer Luke Pugh estimated the cost of the project, which began construction in July, at about $419,000.

Nearly $240,000 came from private sources -- Carilion Clinic contributed $145,000, Novozymes paid $50,000 and the group Pathfinders for Greenways gave about $42,000 for construction and planning. The city covered the remaining $179,000.

Parks and greenways planner Donnie Underwood said he sees the project as an example of the kind of public and private partnership he believes is necessary.

"For us to be on the cutting edge of development on the greenways, and to keep moving forward, we're going to have to look further than just traditional tax dollars," Underwood said.

The new greenway segment, which travels under three bridges and over a creek and numerous utilities, presented a construction challenge to crews.

"That was the toughest piece of trail," Pugh explained. "The topography was steep and we had to build a retaining wall."

Belcher said the work, which opens up more than five miles of continual greenway, was worth it.

"It gives people ... as much mileage as they need on a daily basis," she said. "It's a huge quality-of-life amenity."

In Roanoke, additional greenway work is under way near the A. Victor "Vic" Thomas Park, between Wasena Park and the Memorial Avenue bridge, and other locations.

In Salem, a section of greenway is scheduled to be completed this month that will connect Colorado Street with Rotary Park.