View of the park, greenway, and river from Wasena Bridge, fall 2023
Starting this April, the City of Roanoke will begin replacement of Wasena Bridge, with an estimated two year timeline for completion. Some of the impacted areas include Wasena Park, Wasena Skatepark, the Roanoke River, and the Roanoke River Greenway. As Roanoke Parks and Recreation prepares for this project, we ask that community members be mindful of detours, closures, and other access changes when visiting affected areas. Here’s what park users need to know during construction:
Roanoke River Greenway Detour
During construction, the Roanoke River Greenway will be rerouted with a marked detour. All greenway traffic will be routed through the parking lot adjoining the playground (at the Northwest area of the park), then along Winchester Avenue, Main Street, and Winona Avenue, before returning to the greenway at Wiley Drive. The detour will be fully signed for users. The pump track located along the greenway will not be impacted and will remain open during bridge construction.
Wasena Skatepark
The Wasena Skatepark, located underneath the bridge, will be closed when demolition begins. The portable elements are in the process of being relocated to Morningside Park. Construction of a new Wasena Skatepark will begin later this year, to be located where the tennis and basketball courts are currently. More details about this new facility are coming soon!
There are no plans to replace the tennis and basketball courts in Wasena Park after the skatepark is built.
Roanoke River and future In-River Park
The Roanoke River will be closed for recreation at the Wasena Bridge construction site, with signage at upstream take-out locations river users. Construction of the In-River Park project is expected to begin in early 2025. This facility will include both in-river elements and river access points, and its construction will, at times, impact user access to the Roanoke River in various locations between Memorial Bridge and Smith Park. More information on this project is coming.
Additional Details
For more information on the Wasena Bridge project, visit the City of Roanoke’s project page. You can also follow Play Roanoke on social media for updates (Facebook, Instagram, X), and greenway alerts can be found via Statusfy.
