Wednesday’s ceremony drew a crowd of supporters and opponents of the route through Bryan Park, some of whom held signs throughout the event. (Photos by Jonathan Spiers)

Work on the cross-country Fall Line Trail is now moving into Richmond city limits, although not everyone in attendance at the ceremonial groundbreaking was celebrating the planned route of the multi-use trail.

City officials and supporters of the long-planned trail gathered in Bryan Park on Wednesday to celebrate the start of construction on the 13-mile section of Richmond’s 43-mile trail that will run between Ashland and Petersburg.

The event followed similar groundbreakings last year in Henrico and Hanover counties, which, along with Richmond, are among nine jurisdictions that have formed the trail and supported the regional project.

With Wednesday’s groundbreaking, construction has officially begun in more than half of those communities, according to Sports Backers, the nonprofit organization leading the project.

Bryan Park will be the trail’s northern access into Richmond and will serve as one of three trailheads in the city, along with Kanawha Plaza and a yet-to-be-determined location on Commerce Road. The trailhead at Bryan Park will provide parking, restrooms and access to the park’s facilities, and the trail will be routed along the park’s main street via a new path adjacent to the playground and soccer fields.

A map of the route through Bryan Park shows where the path deviates from existing roads. (Image courtesy of FallLineTrail.org)

That stretch is the problem for a group calling itself Citizens for a Responsible Fall Line Trail. Several members were present at Wednesday’s ceremony, holding signs that read “Don’t pave Bryan Park,” “Change the route” and “No more asphalt.”

Elizabeth Barrett, a local resident who is part of the group, said after the event that she is not against the trail or the project, just the route. The group says the new trail is unnecessary given the existing roads in the park and the route will remove trees and green space and go through an already heavily trafficked area.

“It’s too close to the soccer fields. How can we protect children from running through there, or cyclists? On Saturdays and Sundays when there are soccer games, there are hundreds of people there,” Barrett said.

“There’s already a sidewalk. Use it,” she said. “Don’t do anything that destroys the environment, especially in a park.”

Among those present at the groundbreaking ceremony were opponents of the route.

Jon Lugbill, executive director of Sports Backers, told BizSense that the route was chosen with input from city parks staff specifically because of its proximity to those facilities. He said an earlier route considered would have passed through an unused portion of the park, but safety and visibility concerns led Richmond’s Parks & Recreation Department to favor the current route.

“I think their idea was that the Fall Line Trail would provide an opportunity for people to bike or walk to the park and use the park’s amenities – all of them, not just the trail behind them,” Lugbill said.

Jon Lugbill

“We decided to choose the route near a restroom so that the trailhead is accessible,” he added. “We decided to choose the route near a playground so that people can bike, walk, jog and drive there with their children. We decided to choose the route near the soccer fields so that people don’t have to drive there. We decided to choose the route near the parking lot so that people can park and then enter the trailhead.”

Regarding concerns about congestion between trail and park users, particularly visitors who must cross the trail to access fields and parking lots, Lugbill compared the situation to Richmond’s Potterfield Bridge, which crosses the James River in downtown.

“When you’re cycling, you have to watch out for people. You slow down. I think that might happen on a section of the bike path in Bryan Park, and for us that’s a good thing,” he said. “Potterfield is a bad experience if you’re trying to ride fast, but it’s a wonderful bridge for cyclists, the views are spectacular and it’s worth the conflict with pedestrians.”

The complete route of the 43 mile trail.

After Wednesday’s ceremony, Richmond public service employees led a walk along the route to discuss its rationale and impact. Although the route will require the construction of a new trail, officials insisted the environmental impact on the park would be minimal.

Also in attendance was Richmond Parks & Recreation Director Chris Frelke, who reiterated concerns about safety and accessibility.

“Many people may not feel safe entering certain areas of the park because of historical events,” he said. “When we create trails like this, we need to place them in prominent locations so that people feel safe when they use these different facilities in the park. We want everyone to feel welcome in the park; we want everyone to feel safe.”

Mayor Levar Stoney said the trail would not only improve access but also be a catalyst for economic development.

“While some sections of the Fall Line Trail will utilize existing bike paths, much of the trail will feature new construction and improvements designed to make our streets more pleasant for families and tourists cycling or walking through our city,” Stoney said.

“Trails like this one in cities like Indianapolis and Atlanta have also led to economic growth. This one will not only go through Bryan Park, but also through downtown Richmond and Southside, and you’ll see amazing growth along that trail,” he said. “Yes, this is a park and transportation project, but it’s a community project.”

Officials tossed dirt to mark the start of construction at the Bryan Park trailhead.

A timeline for the Bryan Park trail and the urban portion of the trail was not announced Wednesday. The entire 43-mile trail is scheduled to be completed by 2034, although sections are scheduled to be completed sooner, including a 13-mile section from Richmond to Ashland in the next few years.

The section at Bryan Park will connect to another planned trailhead at 4921 Lakeside Ave., a former bank building Henrico bought last year that will become Sports Backers’ new headquarters. Internal demolition for that project began this week, and Lugbill said the group expects to move there in January.

Henrico has also completed the first sections of its trail section and installed a traffic signal crossing on Lakeside Avenue between the Sports Backers building and Bryan Park.

The Central Virginia Transportation Authority is the primary funder of the entire Fall Line project, which is expected to cost over $400 million.