Useful Bike

From the Richmond Police Department

Looking at what might be coming down the pipeline, in addition to the Forest Hill Ave Phase II project the city is also seeking state funding to "protect" the Cowardin and Semmes intersection.

Improvements include removing the southbound slip lane and adding protected bicycle lanes on the north side of Semmes Avenue from 20th Street to 14th Street and on the south side of Semmes Avenue from just east of 20th Street to Cowardin Avenue.

Forest Hill Avenue Phase II is a plan to fix the bike lane gap from Forest Hill Ave & Dorchester Road to Powhite Parkway. The design adds a raised median, a sidewalk on the southside of Forest Hill Avenue, and bike lanes on both sides of the street

The city has requested $47M through the Commonwealth's Smart Scale Program for the project, and expects to know in January 2027 whether or not the project was selected. If selected, design would begin in 2033.

FWIW this project was on the books back in 2023 for $40M and with a due date of 2031.

The all volunteer, crowd funded, bike powered Richmond Bike Lane Sweeper is hitting the bike lanes this month.

Purchase of the sweeper was crowd funded late this past winter in a campaign spearheaded by Dan G. Nelson and activated by local cyclists frustration with the city's lack of care for growing network of bike lanes. Nelson pulled together a crew of 20 volunteers across the city, published a set of training videos for using the bike lane sweeper, and has the network ready to take on the work of helping keep the city's bike lanes in better shape.

Want to follow along? The bike lane sweeper itself carries a GPS tracker, generating a map of when/where the sweepers have been working.

The majority of the 18 miles of the Virginia Creeper Trail under reconstruction are anticipated being re-opened to the public in November of this year, with the trail to full open by March 2027.

While the 17-mile stretch between Abingdon and Damascus is fully open, the eastern half from Damascus to Whitetop Depot is currently closed after sustaining severe damage from Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Hurricane Helene damaged or destroyed 18 (or 19?) trestles and damaged or destroyed the trail bed along most of the section. The Forest Service has budgeted $660 million to essentially rebuilt the damaged trail.

A July 2 update from Kiewit Infrastructure South Co., the company leading the rebuild, says that the first permanent bridge was set on July 1 "marking a major project milestone 13 days ahead of the baseline schedule." At the other end of the timeline, the reconstruction of Trestle 46 between Whitetop and Green Cove is said to have a projected March completion date and will likely be the last connection to be restored. This would bring back online the easternmost 3 miles of the trail.

The "Recovery" page from Richard Smith's Virginia Creeper Trail is a great follow to keep up on the progress.

From BikeWalkRVA:

Henrico County Lakeside Avenue Improvements Meeting

On August 10, Henrico County DPW will be hosting a public meeting to discuss their proposed Lakeside Avenue Bike and Pedestrian Improvements project.

The project includes approximately 900 feet of improvements between Fairway Avenue and Wentworth Avenue, new curb and gutter, a 10-foot wide shared-use path on the north side of Lakeside Avenue, and a 5-foot sidewalk on the south of Lakeside Avenue, and a mini roundabout at Landsworth Avenue to improve safety and on-street parking between Landsworth Avenue and Wentworth Avenue. The proposed improvements will be constructed concurrently with the proposed Brook Road Improvements project, and ultimately connect to the Fall Line trail.

Opposition to this trail is framed as "dangerous to bike riders", but actually it is a critical step to creating connectivity for the Lakeside neighborhood to the Fall Line trail and Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. Now is your time to support a future that is more connected and create opportunities for people to get to the places they want to go.

This event will take place August 10, 2026, at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave, Henrico, VA 23228. The event starts at 5:30 with a presentation and Q&A to follow.

GRADE: B+

Here are 6 bike/pedestrian projects to look forward to seeing done. Know of any that are missing?

THIS MONTH - Two protected intersections at Forest Hill and 41st/43rd

END OF SUMMER? - Texas Beach Bridge on North Bank Trail

END OF THE YEAR - James River Branch Trail from Westover Hills Boulevard to Hopkins Road

END OF THE YEAR - Crooked Branch Trail from 42nd to Crutchfield Street

SPRING 2028 - Jahnke Road Improvements Project includes a shared-use-path from Blakemore Road to the train crossing near Clarence Street

An event forwarded from Andy Boenau, Department of Transportation City of Richmond:

Peter Norton Lecture Before automobiles reshaped our cities, American streets and Richmond’s streets thrived as vibrant public spaces for walking, streetcars, and community life. The City of Richmond's Department of Transportation is hosting historian and UVA professor Peter Norton, author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City and Autonorama, who has been sharing powerful visual history lessons on how streetcars once served as efficient extensions of walking and neighborhood connections while keeping streets human-scaled.

In his July 9 lecture, Norton will explore this rich legacy and its direct relevance to Richmond’s upcoming Pedestrian Safety Master Plan. He’ll examine the political shift toward car dominance and the lessons for reclaiming safer, more equitable streets today. A lively Q&A will follow, offering a chance to discuss how Richmond can draw on this history to advance Vision Zero, protect vulnerable road users, and design streets for everyone.