Fall Line Trail gets closer to reality in Lakeside

The long-awaited Fall Line Trail is getting closer to reality in Henrico’s Lakeside community.

The trail, which ultimately will travel 43 miles between Ashland and Petersburg, will run about 7.5 miles through Lakeside and Northern Henrico.

Construction of the Henrico portion of the trail is being divided into eight separate phases, seven of which will be overseen by Henrico and the eighth of which will be administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation. In total, the first seven phases are expected to cost about $52.6 million, but thanks to funding from the Central Virginia Transportation Authority ($35.8 million) and state and federal grants ($9.2 million), Henrico County will need to fund only about $7.6 million of that amount itself.

During a public meeting May 16 at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, county officials shared information with citizens about the first five, along with details about related enhancements being planned along Hilliard Road.

First phase – Spring Park
The first phase of the Henrico portion of the trail will involve pedestrian enhancements between the city of Richmond line and Lakeside’s Spring Park along a quarter-mile stretch. Officials are planning a $1.2-million project to install a high-visibility, 12-foot-wide crosswalk with a hybrid beacon (a pedestrian-activated signal system) across Lakeside Avenue from Bryan Park Avenue to Park Avenue and into Spring Park, as well as a 1,400-foot, 12-foot-wide paved multi-use trail from Bryan Park to Spring Park.

The project also will enhance curb ramps at both corners of Bryan Park Avenue and is likely to add some pedestrian amenities in Spring Park, potentially including an informational kiosk, directional signage, trashcans, benches, a bike rack and pet waste station, also are planned in the park phase.

The intent of the work is to improve safety and accessibility for those crossing Lakeside Avenue to head south into Richmond or north into Henrico along the trail.

County officials expect to continue acquiring right-of-way land for the project through June, then begin construction in September and complete it next March.

Phases 2-4 – Lakeside Community Trail
The next three phases of the Henrico portion of the trail are collectively known as the Lakeside Community Trail, which will stretch 1.75 miles from Spring Park north to Hilliard Road.

Officials anticipate beginning construction on the section between the Lakeside Recreation Area and Hilliard Road – a 0.65-mile stretch – by October and completing it in about a year. That $4.3-million project will include a pedestrian bridge over Upham Brook and pedestrian crossing across Hilliard Road.

The other two phases of the Lakeside Community Trail – 0.66 miles between Spring Park and Dumbarton Road, and 0.44 miles between Dumbarton Road and the Lakeside Recreation Area – are tentatively scheduled for construction beginning this June and July, respectively, with completion of both expected by July 2025. They will include a pedestrian crossing across Dumbarton Road, two pedestrian bridge crossings over Upham Brook and two connector trails. Those two phases are expected to cost a total of $7.5 million.

Phase 5 – Brook and Hilliard Trail and Hilliard Road ‘diet’
In May 2025, officials anticipate beginning construction on the $6.9-million fifth phase of the Henrico portion of Fall Line Trail, a half-mile section between Hilliard Road and Lakeside Avenue, with a pedestrian bridge over North Run.

In preparation for that phase, officials also are planning a “road diet” along a half-mile stretch of Hilliard Road between Lakeside Avenue to the point at which the trail would cross Hilliard. The plans would shrink Hilliard’s current four travel lanes to just two over that stretch – one in each direction – and implement a center turn lane, as well as five-foot bike lanes on each side of the road.

The Hilliard project is expected to be completed between this November and next February at a cost of about $200,000.

Phases 6-8 – Lakeside to Hanover County
The three final phases of the Henrico portion of the Fall Line Trail involve sections through Villa Park and Longdale, as well as a crossing over the Chickahominy River into Hanover County, the latter of which will be handled by VDOT and funded with nearly $5 million in VDOT SMART SCALE program money.

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To submit comments about the planned Fall Line Trail’s Henrico - Southern Section, visit https://henrico.us/projects/fall-line-trail/.

To submit comments about the planned enhancements along Hilliard Road, visit https://henrico.us/projects/hilliard-road-reconfiguration/.