On Thursday, Jan. 31, Congressman Ben Cline, Mayor Sherman P. Lea, and City officials gathered to celebrate opening the second Garden City Greenway segment to the public. After several years of construction, this project connects the Garden City neighborhood to 20 additional miles of cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly paths that span across the city.
“If you’ve ever walked or ridden a bike on this road, you know how important this section of greenway is for our residents,” said Michael Clark, Director, City of Roanoke Parks and Recreation. “The completion of this project brings a safe means of recreation and transportation, as well as better connectivity to our greenway system as a whole.”
Broken into two construction phases, the new two-mile greenway connects Yellow Mountain Road to the popular Roanoke River Greenway, used by roughly 200,000 people each year. Composed of permeable asphalt that helps absorb stormwater, the newest 0.7-mile stretch offers a safe, separated, shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists traveling along Garden City Boulevard.
“Businesses, recreation, and employment are now a little bit closer and more accessible because of this greenway,” Mayor Sherman Lea commented. “Trail and greenway connectivity is good for not only our physical health, but also our social and economic well-being.”
Garden City neighbors benefit from having a safe way to access the Roanoke River, Tinker Creek, Lick Run, and Mill Mountain Greenways, in addition to other neighborhoods, parks, the Innovation Corridor, and downtown.
