Rivanna River Bike and Pedestrian Bridge

Project Description

Various planning documents, including Albemarle County’s Pantops Master Plan, Charlottesville’s Bike/Ped Master Plan, and the Rivanna River Area Plan, have called for a pedestrian/bike crossing of the Rivanna River in the vicinity of Riverview Park. This planned crossing would connect the Pantops region of Albemarle County (east side of the Rivanna River) with both the Woolen Mills area of Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville (both on west side of the Rivanna River). Today, the closest crossing is approximately 1.5 miles upriver at the US 250 Free Bridge. The Pantops area of Albemarle County is projected to grow in both residential and working population in the coming years, while a substantial economic development project is currently under construction at the Woolen Mills site. A Rivanna River crossing in this vicinity would join these economic growth areas, link existing Albemarle County employment centers (State Farm Operations Center and Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital) to the City of Charlottesville, and connect recreational trail facilities (Rivanna Trail and Old Mills Trail) on both sides of the river. The Pantops Master Plan and the TJPDC Bike/Ped Plan also indicate future on-street bike facilities on Peter Jefferson Parkway and State Farm Boulevard.

Needs Addressed

Congestion Mitigation

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Pedestrian Access

Bicycle Access

Bicycle Access

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Travel Demand Management

Preliminary Cost Estimate (does not include inflation)

$19.4m

Outstanding Concerns

The stakeholder committee and the public are deliberating on which of the two proposed option will be best for the Smart Scale application. Concerns regarding parking in the area have been raised by community members living on and near E Market Street. This area sees a lot of traffic on a regular basis, however potential options are being explored to accommodate increases in parking needs.

Concerns regarding Riverview Park’s original design and purpose are also being addressed. One of the goals of this project will be to maintain the authenticity and natural feel of Riverview park, while accommodating bikers and pedestrians within Albemarle County and Charlottesville.

Entity Submitting

Charlottesville/Albemarle MPO

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