About a week ago a reader (who currently lives out of town) emailed and asked me to post an update with some recent pictures of the new Taubman Museum of Art, which is scheduled to open in just a little over a month.

And finally by late this weekend the rain had stopped and the weather cleared up enough for me to head downtown and snap a few photos.

(If there is something in Roanoke you’d like to read about or see pictures of just drop me an email and I’ll work at putting it on this site.)

A sign in the side/back yard of the museum confirms the opening date of November 8, 2008.

The view as seen standing at the intersection of Salem Avenue and Williamson Road. Hotel Roanoke visible to the right.

Looking down Salem Avenue, Wachovia Tower in the background.

The height of the museum is basically at a comfortable eye level when standing on the nearby Williamson Road bridge.

The back side of the museum is in close proximity to the railroad tracks.

A view from the side/back when standing on the sidewalk of the Railwalk.

A very popular shortcut in Roanoke is a road that runs basically through a section of Towers Shopping Center.

It’s formally known as 23rd Street S.W. In fact, I believe because traffic is so heavy on the road that sometime ago oversized speed bumps were built to slow drivers down.

This road links Brandon and Colonial Avenues and prevents having to drive all the way to the corner, at the intersection where a CVS store is now located.

No Left Turn

Well, as of several days ago the traffic on this road is probably a good bit less than it has been.

When traveling northeast on Colonial Avenue (going from The Roanoker towards Towers Shopping Center) a sign and raised center median are in place to prevent left turns to 23rd Street SW

As part of recent construction in the area access to this road has been restricted to help minimize its use as a shortcut, and overall improve traffic flow. Espeically to help improve traffic flow coming off of I-581/Route 220 during peak times of the day.

Automobiles traveling northeast on Colonial Avenue (after passing The Roanoker restaurant on the right) will not be allowed to make a left turn onto 23rd Street SW anymore.

And, off the record, as I was taking these pictures a police officer was on site nearby I assume to help enforce this new restriction. Just in the few minutes I was in the area 2 cars were pulled over in the parking lot of Towers Shopping Center, for what I don’t know for sure but I can probably take a guess.

Will this change have any affect on your drivng routes?

It’s been a couple months since I last wrote about the construction going on in the vicinity of Towers Shopping Center. And, things sure have been changing.

Most notably, there is now a traffic light at the intersection with 23rd Street, which I believe has been frequently considered a popular shortcut between Brandon and Colonial Avenue.

New traffic light (at the bottom of the hill) now working on Brandon Avenue

This is all part of an effort by VDOT to help control congestion that can occur in the entire area, especially during peak times in the mornings and late afternoons. During these times, substantial traffic can back up as drivers attempt to exit from from I-581/Route 220 to Colonial Avenue in front of Towers Shopping Center.

And Brandon Avenue itself is a common route from the downtown area to other parts of the city and county, as well as to Salem. I for one travel this road almost daily driving home during rush hour.

From now on there will just be one exception, I may on occasion be required to stop at the new traffic light and allow drivers to turn left from 23rd Street to Brandon Avenue. Until now, making that turn seemed nearly impossible around the 5 o’clock hour in the late afternoon.

Cars on Brandon Avenue stop at a new traffic light to allow a bus to turn left from 23rd Street

I’m not necessarily a big fan of traffic lights in general but this seems like a overall a good move and had been increasingly necessary to better control the flow of traffic.

Will these new road changes cause you to alter your daily or infrequent driving routes at all?

A few months ago I noticed a new sidewalk along Brandon Avenue at Towers Shopping Mall. Then, a new turn lane with new pavement and paint. And now a new traffic light is very easily noticed along Brandon Avenue at the intersection with 23rd Street.

The traffic light is being installed but not currently in use, yet.

It’s all part of a construction project to lessen traffic congestion in that area, especially during peak hours of the day, according to VDOT.

New Traffic Light on Brandon Avenue (near Towers Shopping Center) at the Intersection with 23rd Street SW (6/8/08)

Changes to the popular shortcut on 23rd Street

As a result of all of the construction will be restricted use of 23rd Street, the popular shortcut road which connects Colonial Avenue to Brandon Avenue. Making a left turn from Colonial Avenue onto 23rd Street will not be permitted when construction is complete.

Instead, drivers will need to continue on Colonial and connect with Brandon Avenue at the traffic light near the CVS Pharmacy and Harkrader Park.

Widening of Colonial Avenue

Also, a section of ground along the side of Colonial Avenue (near the ramp for Route 220) has been leveled in preparation for adding a dedicated right turn lane onto Wonju Street, according to VDOT.

Construction on Colonial Avenue (6/8/08)

All of the construction is projected to continue through November 2008, and I’ll update again as I’m able.

Over the holiday weekend I set out to capture some stillframes of the Keagy Village and nearby The Townes at Hidden Valley projects. I aim to update these at least once each calendar month until complete.

A sign for Keagy Village (visible across the street from Sugar Loaf Mountain Road) states that stores and restaurants are to open Spring 2008.

But, there’s less than a month left of Spring.

Here’s a picture of the Keagy Village construction site:

Keagy Village construction site (5/25/08)

As for The Townes at Hidden Valley, the first building appears to be nearing completition. But, it seems in my experience with similiar construction projects that the first building tends to go up rather quickly, and others follow as arrangements are made and contracts signed.

Accordinnig to a site plan, there are over 3 dozen residential buildings planned.

The Townes at Hidden Valley construction site (5/25/08)

I’m still amazed at what is going on in this entire area, and can only imagine what it’ll look like in 1, 2, and 5 years from now.

A month has already gone by since I last updated the new housing developments at both Maple Leaf Farms and Madison Field. So, I recently set out to grab a couple photos of the construction sites and pass along some general information about the projects as part of the Update 30.

Maple Leaf Farms

Maple Leaf Farms seen along Grandin Road Ext is quickly nearing completion on its second home. This is only the second of some two dozen total lots the area has available for building homes, according to sign at the site.

Construction at Maple Leaf Farms (5/17/08)

And, according to an online listing, houses in this new subdivision will carry a price tag of upwards to $700k. This I would say is far greater a price than other typical homes in the immediate neighboring areas.

Madison Field

Last month, Madison Field was looking for its first home buyer and now appears to have found one. The real estate sign in the front lawn of the newly constructed house proclaims “Under Contract” at the bottom.

Construction at Madison Field, Realtor Sign for Future Building Site in Foreground. Photo taken from a Sidewalk on Overland Road. (5/18/08)

Some homes at this development are priced at close to $400k.

Subsequent to this first house securing a contract, other signs have popped up around at the other open building lots. In total, several more lots are available in this area, as suggested by a sign on the site.

More updates next month.

If you have driven along Brandon Avenue recently, in the vicinity of Towers Shopping Mall, you probably couldn’t help but notice a rather rough section of road that’s been under construction. I suppose it’s all part of the effort that has also led to a new sidewalk on the shopping center side of the road.

Just about a week ago back in late April I snapped this photo:

Construction on Brandon Avenue (4/26/08)

And by the following weekend, construction workers had already smoothed over the stretch of road with new pavement and fresh paint.

Construction on Brandon Avenue (5/4/08)

So, why is construction underway in this area to begin with?

Well, according to information at the VDOT website, it’s part of a larger project designed to lessen traffic congestion in the entire area. And specifically to help lessen the back-up of traffic that occurs on Route 220/I-581 at the Colonial Avenue exit during peak times of the day.

Though the heaviest congestion only seems to last for about an hour or so, it can be frustrating (and dangerous) having to line up partly in the shoulder of the highway before the exit. If you travel this way home from work you know what I’m talking about.

There aren’t going to be any new roadways constructed, just slight widening or reconfiguring of existing roads as part of a plan outlined by VDOT.

First of note is the construction on Brandon Avenue which has provided a left turn lane onto 23rd Street (the popular shortcut road that essentially runs through Towers Shopping Mall).

And, coming up according to VDOT, a new traffic light signal will be installed at this intersection of Brandon Avenue and 23rd Street. Then, work will commence at the above section of Colonial Avenue as the overall project is expected to continue throughout the next 6 months.

I’m adding this project to the Update 30, which means I’ll follow its progress and provide updates once each calendar month until complete

Before the month of April comes to an end, I’m scheduled to give an update on the construction at Keagy Village.  And, thanks to information provided by a reader in regards to the previous update, we know what the rather large construction operation taking place a bit further down Keagy Road is all about.

First, a little bit on Keagy Village.

A curb running parallel to, and several feet offset from, Keagy Road has been set up. So, I suppose the future turning lane into the new shopping center is being established.

Construction at Keagy Village (4/27/08)

And it looks like there’s going to be at least two primary entrances/exits: one just at the top of the hill after turning from the traffic light on Route 419, and the other slightly further down, closer to and across from the intersection with Sugar Loaf Mountain Road.

I believe a store or two may have been confirmed recently in the news, but as of yet no store signs have been raised to mention.  All-in-all the entire project seems to be moving slow, or perhaps slower than optimal.

A little more intriguing is the extensive construction taking place further down Keagy Road, beyond the new shopping center. A reader commented previously and shed light on what’s exactly going on at this spot.

New Townhome Community Under Construction (4/27/08)

It’s called The Townes at Hidden Valley.

A new community of townhomes are being put up, and this is appearing to be a fairly large community at that. Upwards of around three dozen townhome buildings are slated for construction, according to a site plan at a development website.

The first of these townhomes is already moving right along, and I think it’s being built near the future entrance to the community.

The Townes at Hidden Valley (4/27/08)

I wonder how many more townhomes may be built by next month?

We’ll find out when I update again in May, and continue to update each calendar month until completion.

(EDIT (5/27/08): This project has been updated, click to view.)