Charles City leaders, Virginia’s First Lady open next section of Virginia Capital Trail

Charles City and state leaders get assists from Charles City elementary and middle school students along with Virginia's First Lady, Dorothy McAuliffe, in cutting the ribbon to open the 12.5-mile Sherwood Forest section of the Virginia Capital Trail.

Alan Chamberlain photos

In front of an overflow crowd gathered inside Charles City’s government building boardroom for today’s (Wednesday) dedication and ribbon-cutting for the Sherwood Forest phase of the Virginia Capital Trail, county Board of Supervisors member Floyd Miles issued an invitation.

“Bike riders — come on down!” he blurted from the podium, much to the delight of dozens of bicyclists along with county residents in attendance.

Inclement weather forced today’s ceremony indoors, but failed to dampen spirits among the standing room only audience of close to 300. With the addition of the Sherwood Forest phase, bike riders, walkers, and joggers can take advantage of 29 miles of uninterrupted paved trail, extending westward along Route 5 from Williamsburg and Jamestown to just beyond the Kimages Road intersection in Charles City.

“This trail is such a great asset for all Virginians and visitors to our Commonwealth,” Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, the event’s featured speaker, told the crowd.

“Everyone can now experience the outdoors and the rich history of Virginia along the Route 5 corridor,” she said.

The 12½-mile Sherwood Forest phase extends past its colonial era plantation namesake, paralleling Route 5 the entire way to connect Charles City Courthouse with the Chickahominy River Bridge at the James City County line. Construction began following groundbreaking in May 2012 and was recently completed at a cost of $13.2 million.

“It’s been a real challenging experience for the past several years to see this project beginning in James City County and getting closer to Richmond,” Virginia Department of Transportation Richmond administrator Thomas Hawthorne told the crowd.

“It’s a fine attribute to the community and a real asset to Virginia in getting this project closer to completion,” he said. “It’s taken longer than we anticipated and it’s costs a little more, but it fits in with the history along the Route 5 corridor.”

An eight-mile Charles City Courthouse phase heading west from the courthouse to Kimages Road was completed in July 2009 at a cost of $5 million. A 10½-mile, $9.7 million segment dubbed the New Market Heights phase, running from Kimages Road almost to Interstate 295 in Henrico County, is under construction and due for completion early next year. Work is scheduled next year on a Varina phase (11.3 miles) and smaller sections closer to Richmond.

“We at VDOT are looking forward very much to completing this project and getting this behind us,” Hawthorne said.

“The community has been extremely supportive of this project, and from getting right of way through construction, the support of Charles City County has been tremendous,” he added.

The First Lady, meanwhile, told the crowd she already has taken a bicycle trip along the Sherwood Forest portion and urged others to follow her lead, especially children who can utilize the trail in developing personal healthy habits, she said.

“The trail promotes health, wellness, education, economic development, and enjoying the Virginia outdoors,” she said.

Hawthorne said VDOT plans to have the entire 55-mile trail open by late next year, thus connecting the colonial capitals of Jamestown (1607-99) and Williamsburg (1699-1780) with the present day capital of Richmond.

An overflow crowd, many of them avid bicyclists, packed the county government building’s boardroom for the
ribbon-cutting ceremony.