The scenic overlook on Valdemar A. Hill Drive — known also as Skyline Drive — will undergo extensive reconstruction. When it is finished there will be parking for six cars and five Safari buses, and accommodations for handicapped parking.
The completed overlook will be 150 feet long and 60 feet deep. Forty feet of the facility will be supported on an elevated bridge, with columns reaching 35 feet down to the ground. There will be benches, walkways, and extensive landscaping.
Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr. said vendors and taxi operations will be relocated during the construction period. He expects minimal disruption to traffic while the work is going on, he said.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Thompson expects work to be complete by April 2000. He added that he had begun working with other agencies to develop plans for more scenic-view locations throughout the territory.
The Valdemar A. Hill project will cost $950,000 and is funded by the Federal Highway Administration.