The low-water bridge across the Roanoke River in Wasena Park will soon be replaced – and this is great news for canoeists and kayakers who like to float the river. Low-water bridges and dams pose great hazards to paddlers. At higher water levels the nature of their design creates a dangerous back-flow of water, known as a hydraulic, that can trap a person or boat (two people recently died on low-water dams in Franklin County).
As it is now, boaters must get out of their boats and portage around the low-water bridge at Wasena Park – but come next spring this will all change. Don’t get me wrong, dams and low-water bridges have their purpose, but some have outlived their usefulness and options that also accommodate recreation should be explored.
A dam on Virginia’s Rappahannock River was removed in 2004, creating a half mile of rapids on the Rappahannock River that weren’t previously there, and thus a new outdoor recreation industry. The New York Times recently wrote an article that highlights this and more. Sometimes we forget how fortunate we are to have the Roanoke River running right through Roanoke and this is a great step toward opening it up even more!
Continue reading below for the Star City Harbinger’s detailed report on the bridge replacement at Wasena Park.
Bridge at normal water level (courtesy Roanoke Times)
Bridge during flood - hyrdolics created are very dangerous (courtesy Wiretap Studios)
“A development that City of Roanoke Engineer Phil Schirmer says will be a “boon to Roanoke’s outdoor-based economy,” the low-water bridge separating Wasena and Smith Parks will be replaced with a new pre-cast concrete bridge with 3 wide and tall openings to permit kayak/canoe passage and allow fish to migrate upstream. Read the rest of this entry »
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