On the night of the Christmas parade, which side of Main Street will still have open parking? This year in downtown Salem it isn't a trivia question. East Main has been closed between Market and Broad since mid-September. The road is expected to reopen this month, and that reopening hands the block to the next phase of work. For the rest of the year, on-street parking closes on one side of Main and then the other. The city has set Friday, December 4 as the date the first side should be substantially done.
A hundred years of pipe, ten feet down
The trouble with the closure was what crews found under the pavement. In an October 26 letter to the downtown business community, the City of Salem's Community Development Department said the storm drainage under Main Street is more than 100 years old and sits 10 feet below street level. Crews also found buried items that were not recorded anywhere. WDBJ7 reported that the work was originally scheduled to finish October 9.
The city's October 23 notice extended the closure through at least November 6. It cited the need to reinforce infrastructure that deep and delays with suppliers and equipment deliveries. The October 26 letter said the contractor expected to reopen the road in the first week of November, once the storm drain trench is paved and the curb work is complete. The city posts the latest status on its City Construction Updates page.
This block is the last missing piece of a longer project. The city's downtown project map divides the storm drain work into seven phases:
| Phase | Stretch | Status on the city's project page |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | N. and S. College Ave., E. Clay St. to E. Calhoun St. | Complete |
| 2 | E. Main St., N. Broad St. to White Oak Alley | Complete |
| 3 | E. Main St., N. Broad St. to Academy St. | Complete |
| 4 | E. Main St., N. Market St. to Thompson Memorial Dr. | Complete |
| 5 | E. Main St., White Oak Alley to N. Market St. | Underway since Sept. 14 |
| 6 | S. Market St./Roanoke Blvd., E. Main St. to S. College Ave. | In design |
| 7 | S. College Ave., E. Calhoun St. to Roanoke Blvd. | In design |
Phase 5 covers the stretch between Phase 2 and Phase 4. With it done, the new storm drain line under East Main runs unbroken from Academy Street to Thompson Memorial Drive. The two phases still in design are off Main Street, on South Market and Roanoke Boulevard and on South College. The project page gives no construction dates for either one.
The street opens, then the sidewalks come up
Reopening the road doesn't finish downtown construction. The next phase is the Downtown Streetscape project, the visible part. The city's letter lists the work:
- Sidewalk and curb replacement
- Water meter adjustments
- Irrigation, electrical, and communications work
- New lighting
- Brick pavers
- Landscaping
Main Street stays open to traffic during the streetscape work. The parking closures come in this order:
- North side first. Work begins once the storm drain project is finished. On-street parking closes on the side opposite the Library, and the south-side spaces stay open. The city expects this phase to be substantially complete for the Downtown Christmas Parade and tree lighting on Friday, December 4.
- South side second. After the north side is done, crews move across the street and close south-side parking for at least six weeks.
The city's letter says businesses will stay accessible throughout. For anyone heading downtown, the order is what matters. Through most of November, the open parking on Main is on the south side. If the north side finishes on time, December 4 lands in the gap between the two halves. After that, the south side's six weeks begin, and they run at least into the new year.
The parade is the deadline
The city timed the north side for one evening for a reason. According to Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge, Salem's Christmas tree lights at the Salem Public Library at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, December 4. The Christmas Parade follows along Main Street at 6:30 p.m., and both are free. The north side, the one being worked on first, is the side across from the Library, where the season begins.
December 4 is also the first night of the busiest stretch on Salem's holiday calendar:
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Christmas Tree Lighting | Salem Public Library | 6:00 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Christmas Parade | Main Street | 6:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops | Salem Civic Center | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Crafty Christmas | Salem Farmers Market | See organizer |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Gingerbread Festival | Salem Museum and Longwood Park | 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland | Salem Civic Center | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat.–Sun., Dec. 12–13 | Salem Holiday Market | Salem Civic Center | See organizer |
The parade and the Holiday Pops concert fall on the same Friday evening. David Stewart Wiley conducts, with guest soloist Adelaide Trombetta and the combined Roanoke Symphony Chorus, Roanoke Valley Children's Choir, and Salem Choral Society. Families planning that night will likely choose one or the other.
On Saturday, December 5, the events move off Main Street. Crafty Christmas is at the Farmers Market, and the Gingerbread Festival brings the annual Gingerbread House Competition to the Salem Museum, ending at 2:00 p.m. The rest of the calendar is at the Salem Civic Center: Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland on December 10 and the two-day Salem Holiday Market on December 12 and 13. The busiest downtown evening falls between the two halves of the streetscape work. The later events are mostly away from Main.
The businesses that held on
The closure was hardest on the businesses along the closed block. Speaking to WDBJ7 in late October, Frank's Pizza manager Brittany Shelton described the drop in lunch traffic: "We've went from having maybe 15, 20 tables during a lunch rush to down to maybe having four a day." Shelton also told the station that some customers had tried to visit several times and left when they couldn't find parking. The sidewalks stayed open the whole time, so every shop and restaurant on the block could still be reached on foot.
Frank's Pizza is one of many downtown names on the Visit Salem downtown map. The map also lists Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea, Olde Salem Brewing Co., Mac and Bob's, Stave & Cork, Corbin's Confections, Brood Restaurant, Champloo, Awful Arthur's, Macado's, Frankie Rowland's, Poteet Gallery, Grandma's Attic, Wonderous Books, and Blue Moon Mercantile. During the holidays the city's tourism partners send visitors to these same blocks. The Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge guide suggests arriving early on parade night to "browse nearby shops, grab a bite to eat, and find your viewing spot."
What opened while the street was closed
Downtown also added a restaurant during the closure. Roanoke Growth reported that Dom Vito's Brick Oven Pizza opened on Tuesday, October 13, at 10 W. Main Street, in the historic Salem Motor Lofts building. The menu centers on 12-inch brick oven pizzas, including the Spicy Mother Clucker with Calabrian chilis and hot honey, the Truffle Shuffle with goat cheese and truffle hot honey, and the Pretty Fly for a White Pie with mortadella, pistachios, and lemon zest. It also serves smoked wings, pizza fries, sandwiches, salads, beer, wine, and specialty cocktails. The dining room has exposed brick, warm-toned booths, an open kitchen, and a pizza-themed mural near the entrance.
A block off Main, The Gilded Rose Tea Room at 206 E. Calhoun St. appears on the City of Salem's new business listing. Its restaurant and on-premises beer and wine licenses are dated August 9, 2026. Before the Gingerbread Festival or the Holiday Market, it's a possible stop for a quieter afternoon downtown.
After the parade
Once the north side wraps up, the south side gets its turn. On-street parking there closes for at least six weeks, and the city again says businesses will stay accessible. That work covers the Civic Center evenings in mid-December and runs past the holidays. When it's done, East Main will have new storm drains along its length and new sidewalks, curbs, lighting, brick pavers, and landscaping on both sides. Questions about the schedule go to the city's Community Development office at (540) 375-3032.
The Crouch Team has worked out of Salem for more than two decades, and we've watched downtown change block by block. If you're thinking about what this new Main Street could mean for a home nearby, we'd be glad to talk it through. Book an Appointment with our team.
