VDOT Finishes City Bike and Pedestrian Trail Early
Trail runs along Lafayette Boulevard.
By Hank Silverberg
CORRESPONDENT
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A bicycle and pedestrian connector project along part of Lafayette Boulevard in Fredericksburg has been finished four months ahead of schedule.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said the new 10-foot-wide path runs along the north side of Lafayette Boulevard between Twin Lakes Drive and St Paul Street and connects at a paved access point with the existing Virginia Central Railway Trail at the Springwood Drive cul-de-sac.
New pedestrian signals, added this week, were the final touches. They are at Twin Lakes Drive, Springwood Drive, Kensington Place, and St Paul Street. That completed the $2.4 million project, which began last December.
The path has ramps and marked crosswalks making it easier for use by those with disabilities.
The area is heavily frequented by pedestrians from local apartments and a nearby dance studio.
The City of Fredericksburg financed the project with money from Virginia’s SMART SCALE transportation program.
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The person to thank for the city trails, road improvements and sidewalks is my husband, Erik Nelson. As a city planner for 32 years, his first project was bringing VRE service to Fredericksburg. Then, looking to make the city more connected and walkable, he wrote the plans and secured funding for the Heritage Trail that connects to the existing Canal Path as well as Cowan Blvd Trail, VCR Trail, Fall Hill Avenue Trail and the Lafayette Trail. He has positioned the city to receive funding for additional trails. He was motivated to create a more walkable city, considering it to be infrastructure, not just amenities, after seeing people trying to walk along Fall Hill Avenue in the dirt path alongside the narrow road. It didn’t sit right with him, and he believed the city could do better for its citizens. It has also increased the city’s Walkscore as well as increasing property values. Mary Nelson