Wednesday’s Hearing on Forest Hill Ave Widening Delayed
The Forest Hill Ave. Project’s ponderous progress has been watched closely by neighbors, commuters and bikers. The first public meeting in a long time was scheduled for Wednesday. Everyone is going to have to wait a bit longer. Details on the project can be found here although be warned they haven’t updated the meeting information as of 3/5, 9:30. From City of Richmond Announcement Blog
The Department of Public Works is postponing Wednesday’s Public Hearing on the Forest Hill Improvements Project due to the forecast for inclement weather.The hearing has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 13, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Southampton Elementary School, 3333 Cheverly Road.
My gosh, I thought surely they had stopped beating this dead horse. One – nobody who lives along the Forest Hill Avenue corridor wants this project, or feels it will make things better for the neighborhoods along the Avenue. Two – why are we contemplating a non-emergency project such as this at a time when we’re talking about laying off teachers, police and fire personnel, cutting back on medical care for those who need it desperately, and even curtailing road and bridge repair which is actually needed for safety reasons? Just because commuters want a slicker chute to funnel them into town doesn’t mean we should have to accede to their demands – that’s what the Chippenham, the Pohite and the Downtown Expressway are for. If you can read a map, you can get anywhere in and around town in just a few minutes – why mess up a neighborhood street which, while quirky, well serves the residents who use it all day long, not just at rush hour? We LIKE quirky out here!
I live in one of the neighborhoods along this stretch of Forest Hill…and i can say this revamp is a little much. Sidewalks or a bike lane(not both) would be nice, but other than that all i would want to see is a stop light somewhere along there. It’s near impossible to turn onto Forest Hill during rush hour and has made me late to work more than a couple times.