Wasena Bridge replacement project could take longer than expected after apparent setback
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – According to Roanoke City officials, Hurricane Helene damaged a temporary work bridge on the Wasena Bridge replacement project, which put construction behind schedule, but it's unknown by how much.
For more than a year now, the bridge's closure has affected people's commute patterns, increased traffic on side roads, and closed portions of the Roanoke River Greenway, decreasing foot traffic. That has hurt adjacent businesses like The Green Goat restaurant.
'It's considerably off, the business,' owner Bruce Todaro said. 'If no one is walking on the greenway anymore and no one's walking by the restaurant, the area is just not as well-used as it used to be.'
Todaro said he knows better times will come and remains positive.
Wasena Bridge project enters new phase
'I know everybody's working hard on the bridge, and it's not necessarily their fault,' he said. 'To my knowledge, the guys are out there every day, and I see them working, I see them working on weekends and into the evening, but hopefully everything comes together in the end, and everybody comes out and supports us.'
However, not all businesses in the area have seen an impact by the bridge's closure. Proud Pops barber Shop is one of them.
'I'm a schedule by appointment barber,' Steven Webb, a barber and the owner of the shop said. 'Business hasn't changed a lot for me, but I know for other businesses it might not be the same.'
Both Todaro and Wilks are thankful for the community support they do get.
'We appreciate everybody who does come out, that's for sure,' Todaro said. 'If anybody is still wondering what's going on, we're open seven days a week with regular hours of operation, and whenever you can think of us, come on out and support us.'
'I'm very thankful and very blessed to be in this area,' Wilks said. 'It's a great community and everybody here sticks together, and I think that's what's still keeping everybody thriving.'
Nobody from Roanoke city was available for comment on the project.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Red Oak Community Fire Department mourns loss of firefighter
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — The Red Oak Community Rural Fire Department announced one of their firefighters died while vacationing outside of the country. Leaders with the department said Jay Lyons was one of the crew that went to Western N.C. to help following Hurricane Helene. They said he served at several fire departments in the area, including Leggett Volunteer Fire Department and Edgecombe County Emergency Services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Trump's broadband program overhaul favors Musk tech, strips low-cost plans
Residents of western North Carolina gather near a fire station last fall to access Wi-Fi service in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The region is among the areas meant to benefit from the BEAD program for rural broadband access. (Photo by Melissa) The Trump administration on Friday released revised rules for a federal program meant to widely expand broadband access, stripping the Biden-era effort of many key requirements and making it easier for Elon Musk's company to win grants. Under the revised guidelines, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, known as BEAD, will take a technology-neutral approach to expanding broadband access rather than focusing on fiber internet. The original program favored fiber because of its speed, reliability and ability to reach remote locations. The change opens the door for more internet providers to use BEAD grants for technologies including satellite internet service, which is provided by Elon Musk's Starlink. Under the new rules, Starlink could receive $10 billion to $20 billion in BEAD money, up from $4.1 billion the company would have received under the original rules, according to The Wall Street Journal. Groups applying for BEAD funding also will no longer be required to offer a low-cost service option for internet users in locations they are serving. Some states had proposed services as low as $30 a month. Instead, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration now encourages internet providers to propose their 'existing, market driven low-cost plans' to meet the cost requirement. A lagging broadband program faces more delays as Trump plans changes As part of the Trump administration's push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the government, the new guidelines also remove provisions that encouraged states to work with companies and representatives from minority communities. Requirements related to labor, the environment and climate change also were cut. And the agency eliminated a provision of the original program that encouraged states to seek out non-traditional providers, including municipalities or political subdivisions that provide internet service. Louisiana's, Nevada's and Delaware's proposals, which had been approved, will be rescinded. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick promised to launch a rigorous review of the BEAD program in March, saying in a statement that because of 'woke mandates, favoritism towards certain technologies and burdensome regulations, the program has not connected a single person to the internet and is in dire need of a readjustment.' In April, the Trump administration gave states an additional 90 days to submit their final plans for the $42.45 billion program in anticipation of the changes, further delaying an effort that's set to go back to the planning phase after more than three years. Evan Feinman, the former director of the BEAD program, said states will now have to rework their proposals again. 'For some reason, [Secretary] Lutnick, who said the program was going too slowly, wants to slow the program down much more, force states and the private sector to do a ton of extra work and spend a bunch of extra taxpayer money all so we can get worse connections to people that will cost them more every month,' he said. The Internet & Television Association, a trade association representing the broadband and cable industries, praised the new guidelines in a statement, saying, 'We welcome changes to the BEAD program that will make the program more efficient and eliminate onerous requirements, which add unnecessary costs that impede broadband deployment efforts.' But Drew Garner, the director of policy engagement at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, said in a statement that the changes will 'cement the digital divide for decades.' The Benton Institute is a nonprofit organization championing digital access for all. '[Lutnick] is hurting our economic competitiveness, our healthcare and education, and our ability to work and stay connected with loved ones,' Garner said in the statement. 'He is denying rural Americans access to the modern economy and our increasingly connected world.' Stateline reporter Madyson Fitzgerald can be reached at mfitzgerald@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Asheville breweries win World Beer Cup gold, silver medals: Here's why they won
ASHEVILLE - In a global blind taste test, North Carolina breweries competed against breweries representing 49 countries, earning 11 medals in the prestigious World Beer Cup awards program known as "the Olympics of beer competitions." Four medals were awarded to Asheville area beer companies: Diatribe, Highland, Hi-Wire and Sierra Nevada. The Brewers Association received 8,375 entries from 1,761 breweries that were judged over 14 sessions by 265 industry experts. Winners were announced at the 2025 World Beer Cup award ceremony on May 1 during the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America in Indianapolis. The local brewing teams shared details about their award-winning beers and how bringing home the medals is a win for the Asheville area brewing community, particularly after a challenging season following last fall's Tropical Storm Helene. 1042 Haywood Road, West Asheville. Diatribe Brewing Co. won the gold medal in the Chocolate Beer category for its Chocolate Porter. Diatribe opened in 2023 with an American Porter that's been a taproom guest favorite and earned the West Asheville brewery a gold medal in the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Dave Byer, co-owner and brewer, said he began with that base to build the Chocolate Porter, using imported cocoa nibs, testing different techniques, and then introducing varieties to guests. "It's been a fun journey with us and with our customers, and everyone weighing in on what's their favorite, Byer said. "It's been a big group effort to create this beer, seeing what we love, and taking nibs that worked and putting them in our award-winning porter." Byer said he's witnessed Asheville's brewing industry strengthen for over a decade to compete on the world's stage. He said Helene was another example of the community's resilience. The Chocolate Porter was one of the first batches of beer Byer brewed after water was restored several weeks after the storm. He attributed the community's support to keeping the brewery open and thriving. Betty Dunajski, co-owner and taproom manager, said the brewery will be one of the participating locations, hosting events during AVL Beer Week, May 15-29. "We always have fun experiments and different ways for people to connect with beer, whether it's different ingredients or different ways of serving beer," she said." We like to get our customers and community involved." The Chocolate Porter is available exclusively served in the taproom. It's seasonal, and supplies are limited. 12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Asheville. Highland Brewing Co. won the gold medal in the German-style Kölsch category for its Daycation Gold. "The German-style Kölsch category is highly nuanced," said Nikki Mitchell, vice president of brand development. "It's such a delicate beer. To win for 'Gold' fills me and everyone at Highland with a huge amount of pride." Daycation Gold was introduced in 2021 as a small-batch Kölsch named Distance Driver, which won gold at the 2022 Best of Craft Beer Awards. It was designed to quench the thirst of disc golfers at Highland's East Asheville campus. Due to demand, it continued to be brewed. This spring, a revamped and rebranded brew version was released as Daycation Gold, under the same session beer umbrella as Daycation IPA. It's available in the taproom and for retail sale. Innovation Brewing Manager, Josh Jiles, said it's a technical, challenging beer to brew, but when done correctly, it should be refreshing and bright. "Daycation hits that perfect sweet spot," Jiles said. "It's clean, crisp, incredibly well-balanced." Jiles said Helene significantly impacted Asheville's brewery industry, as there was little to no water to brew. He commended the beer community for working hard to get back on its feet. "We're all pretty crafty. Asheville produces some of the world's best beers, and every brewer should be proud of that," Jiles said. "It's a good win for the community." Various locations, including 2A Hunstman Place, Biltmore Village. Hi-Wire Brewing Co. won the silver medal for its Hi-Wire Lager in the International-Style Pilsner category. This is the seventh World Beer Cup award the brewery, founded in 2013 in Asheville, has earned. "This one is different for us than the others," said Adam Charnack, co-founder. "The Hi-Wire Lager is the first beer we ever made. ... It's everything about our brand that we love." Charnack said the lager is the ideal representation of the brewery, describing the brew as timeless, classic, simple, complicated, and easy-drinking. It's the brewery's bestselling beer in its taprooms. He said winning the World Beer Cup award this year heightened the emotions from Helene, and it's a chapter-turner for Hi-Wire, as it recovers. In May, Hi-Wire will reopen its beer garden in the River Arts District, which was devastated during the historic storm. "We're beyond ecstatic," Charnack said. "We can't be more proud." 100 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. won the gold medal for its Weizenbock in the South German-Style Weizenbock category. It also earned the gold medal at the 2024 competition and the Great American Beer Fest in 2024. 'It's a wonderful example of the beer style," Brian Grossman, chief brewer and second-generation brewery owner at Sierra Nevada, said in an email. "It is brewed using traditional techniques, and it showcases an authentic German yeast strain that came from our long-time friends at a historic Bavarian brewery. It is a testament to our brewing team's hard work and dedication to premium quality craft brewing.' Grossman, who called Asheville 'a world-class beer destination,' said the Weizenbock is a limited batch beer available at the Mills River taproom, though it may not last long. The North Carolina Brewers Guild and North Carolina brewers were honored with the Brewers Association's Recognition Award, honoring the brewers' collective response to Tropical Storm Helene. View the complete list of 2025 World Beer Cup winners at Discover more Asheville breweries in a citywide celebration, AVL Beer Week, from May 15-29, at various locations. For a complete list of events, visit Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@ or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram/Bluesky. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville breweries win World Beer Cup medals: Here's why they won
