Forest Hill Avenue Widening Improvements Stalled
Last December there were a set of public meetings on the design for the Forest Hill Avenue widening project, basically improving the stretch of road between Powhite and Hathaway (Original Post). Engineers and consultants promised the community to return in the spring for follow up briefings and opportunities for additional comment. As you can tell spring has long since passed and I was reminded by Bike Forest Hill that there should have been these meetings. Here is what I have heard.
In December, there were private meetings at city hall, and the two designs then under consideration were outlined and a favored choice selected. The spring public meetings were still scheduled. In April, the DPW consultants engineer choice was presented to the Urban Design Committee (a function of the Department of Planning and Development Review). UDC objected to the design because it was not “neighborhood friendly.” Both sides became stubborn. Since there was no consensus plan to present, the public comment was never formally scheduled. The disagreement went forward within the city administration, to the point where a third plan was drafted as a compromise. I have not seen the plan but I’ve been told that the problem with the third plan is that it costs about $2 million more than the engineers’ draft, and there is no revenue to make up the difference. The disagreement has landed on the Chief Administrative Officer’s desk (about two weeks ago), and there it sits. Basically the project has been stalled since April and the community including Kathy Graziano have not been part of any discussions. Projects can only be stalled for so long before they lose funding and this one is not showing signs of movement.
All of the proposals are bike-friendly. We had a guest editorial by Champe Burnley President of the Virginia Bicycling Federation in December with some Bike Thoughts on the project and some additional suggested improvements. All the plans have dedicated bike lanes. There is a difference of opinion within biking communities over location of bike lanes. Some riders who are commuter oriented appear to want to ride on the street, a faster option. Others prefer a lane that is physically separated from the street by landscaping. Bike Forest Hill and Support Cycling on Forest Hill from Facebook have some additional concerns, two of which I outlined below.
The intersection of Rettig and Forest Hill Avenue is part of US Bike Route 1 — as you can see from this picture, the design for getting in and out of this neighborhood is troubling. With no light, and street design making this a necessary u-turn point; cyclists and automobiles will have a hard time getting onto Forest Hill. Anyone who crosses this intersection now can tell you that it is already dangerous.
Also the bike lane while stated as being 5.5 feet wide the city is counting 2.25 feet of gutter as bike lane.
I’ll be keeping an ear out and if I hear any more will let you know but Bike Forest Hill and Support Cycling on Forest Hill are likely to scoop me since this project is obviously close to the heart.
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Oh man, we _cannot_ let them botch this in terms of the bike lane!! They already did it on Hermitage by the Diamond — I thought they might have learned by now that the gutter pan does not count as bike lane!!
If this concerns you, as it does me, I suggest you contact City Council Member, Kathy Graziano (804-320-2454 or kathy.graziano@richmondgov.com), and ask her to put the brakes on this potential bottleneck. Action is needed RIGHT NOW, if we want to change the designs for a better and safer corridor.
Richard is right. It appears that DPW will not budge on its bad design without real pressure from above, and they’re trying to convince Graziano that their plan is the only viable one. I would say calling her is better than email.
This case is crucial not just for Forest Hill but for the whole city in terms of setting a precedent. The Mayor’s Bike/Ped/Trails Commission has some strong recommendations for making Richmond more bike and pedestrian friendly, but it won’t do much good if DPW refuses to take that seriously.
And while the bicyclists argue, we pedestrians take our lives into our hands walking in that same “gutter pan” or on narrow, weedy shoulder to get to the stores at Stratford Hills or the numerous bus stops. This is the only section of the Forest Hill Ave./Semmes corridor between the city limits and downtown without a sidewalk, and it is DANGEROUS.
It is not the cyclist arguing that is preventing this project from happening it is DPW and UDC arguing.
Referencing the Facebook comments:
5′-3.5′=1.5′ not 2.25′ Drawing shows bike lane is on 3.5′ of asphalt and 1.5′ of concrete. Also, major reason this stretch of Forest Hill is so dangerous is that there are no left turn lanes. This project would have provided medians and dedicated left turn lanes. The drawing also shows a dedicated right turn lane onto Rettig. Looks like safety would have been greatly improved to me. Sidewalks would have been provided as well. It’s a shame that the entire project may die because the sides can’t work out small details. I cringe every time I drive through there, especially if someone in front of me is turning left, hoping that those behind me brake in time.
Point well taken that pedestrian safety is also a big issue. But trying to ensure that the bike infrastructure is adequate in no way negates the importance of sidewalks. Both plans include those. On the other hand, the DPW plan includes widened lanes, which encourage higher speeds, so if you actually try to cross Forest Hill you’ll be in greater danger.
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