Richmond approves nearly $50 million Shockoe Valley street project
Richmond’s Planning Commission approved the Shockoe Valley Streets Improvement Project on Aug. 4, advancing a nearly $50 million redesign of about half a mile of streets in the historic neighborhood.
The project covers portions of Oliver Hill Way, North 18th Street, Venable Street, Mosby Street and Leigh Street. The plan includes protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, two-way streets and a new traffic signal. Four regular intersections would be converted into landscaped roundabouts.
The approval came after a contentious review involving city planning and transportation officials. The decision also protects $33.3 million in secured federal funding that officials said could have been put at risk by a delay.
What the project would change
Under the approved design, Oliver Hill Way would receive street parking for the first time. The combination of parking, bike lanes, wider sidewalks and changes to traffic movement is intended to address transportation safety, accessibility and connectivity in Shockoe Valley.
The four planned roundabouts would replace regular intersections with landscaped traffic circles. The design also calls for a new traffic signal and for the affected streets to operate as two-way roads.
The work is limited to roughly half a mile, but it would alter how people walk, bike and drive through several connected streets. That makes the project a significant change for a historically important part of Richmond, where officials have been weighing pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle priorities.
A plan years in development
The city said the design process began in 2018 and included technical analysis and community engagement. About $4 million in prior work had already been completed or committed to the project, according to Axios Richmond.
The Urban Design Committee had recommended denying the project during the review, citing concerns involving pedestrians and land use. The Planning Commission nevertheless approved the project and included all eight conditions recommended by the committee.
Those conditions are part of the approved plan, but the vote did not eliminate the broader disagreement over how the streets should balance walking, biking, parking and vehicle traffic. The review had involved both city planning and transportation officials.
Federal funding and next steps
Officials said failing to approve the project risked delays, redesign costs and the loss or disruption of $33.3 million in secured federal funding. Approval allows the city to continue pursuing the project rather than reopening the design process.
The project will now continue through Richmond’s review and implementation process. The city’s announcement did not give a construction start date or a completion date, so the Planning Commission’s action is an approval to advance the work, not a statement that construction is finished.
The next phase will determine how the approved design moves toward implementation. For residents and people traveling through Shockoe Valley, the practical stakes are the future layout of the streets, the addition of protected bicycle infrastructure and sidewalks, and the introduction of roundabouts and new street parking on Oliver Hill Way.
Sources
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