Charles City residents take bicycle route concerns to VDOT

Charles City residents in the Parrish Hill area of the county have concerns about the path the soon to be built Virginia Capital Trails bicycle route is slated to take through the courthouse area.

The project parallels Route 5 from Richmond to Williamsburg and is being built in stages. The Charles City Courthouse stage is slated for completion sometime in the next two years.

Close to 40 residents, mostly members of Parrish Hill Baptist Church, met June 4 with Virginia Department of Transportation officials at the church on Route 5. Of concern is the church itself, particularly access to its parking lot. Church members are not happy with the planned bike path route, which runs across church property and both parking lot entrances.

“We’re not opposed to the bike trail,” church clerk Yvonne Jones told VDOT officials. “We think it will enhance the quality of life. We just have concerns since the church is relatively close to Route 5.”

Entrances to the church are on a curve, she said, thus there is the matter of safety for both motorists and bicyclists. Church members would much prefer to have the bike route cross over to the north side of Route 5, opposite from the church, she said.

Preliminary plans for the route through Charles City show the path traveling on the south side of Route 5 from Henrico County through the courthouse area and past the church.

The path does not cross over to the north side until reaching a point on a straight section of highway, about a half-mile east of the church. The bike path then continues on the north side to the James City County line at the Chickahominy River bridge.

VDOT officials said economic and environmental factors along with historical property locations and the overall terrain contributed to the decision to follow the south side of the road.

Locating the trail on the north side of the road would mean building longer bridges to span the nearby Courthouse and Parrish Hill creeks, thus adding $500,000 to the project’s cost, VDOT project manager Steven R. McNeely told the crowd gathered in the church’s social hall.

Safety factors prevent crossovers from being located on curves, he said, and VDOT is prohibited from placing the trail on private property that is labeled historic. One reason why the south side is followed through the courthouse area is the presence of Belle Aire Plantation on the north side, he said.

McNeely noted, however, that trail plans are not concrete. A public hearing is to be held on plans for the courthouse area, but has not been scheduled, he said.

“We want to understand what your concerns are and if we can make adjustments,” he said.

The entire trail is being built on VDOT-owned right-of-way, McNeely said. VDOT, however, is required to give notice to landowners along the route and cannot block access to private property, he added.

“Once we’ve gone to public hearing and get right-of-way easements, plans will be locked down,” he said.

Jones said church members are anxious to be kept informed about the project. She asked VDOT officials to provide pertinent information to the public in a timely fashion. Officials agreed to oblige.

“People want to be kept up to date on the process and what’s going on,” she told the officials. “We need to have good information relayed to us in time so we can understand it. You may not accept it, but at least you understand it and the rationale behind it.”