Henrico official: I-95's Exit 80 likely to remain open

Exit 80 off I-95 along the Henrico-Richmond border near Lakeside is likely to remain open, according to a Henrico County official, following overwhelming feedback last summer as part of a Virginia Department of Transportation survey from commuters and local residents who opposed its potential closure.

VDOT has been weighing changes to the I-95/Bryan Park interchange that could enhance safety through the region while also potentially creating a realignment of Hermitage Road in the area.

In order to implement those changes, the agency has been considering a plan that would close the exit (which allows northbound traffic on I-95 to exit and traffic from Hermitage Road and Lakeside Avenue to enter I-95 South) in order to reduce the number of possible merging movements on I-95.

That initial plan also proposed widening the ramp from I/64/I-195 to I-95 North to two lanes and widening I-95 North from three lanes to four underneath the Hermitage Road bridge, where Exit 80 is located, before merging back to three lanes about 1,500 feet north of the bridge. The original plan also proposed eliminating the existing Hermitage Road bridge over I-95 and moving it farther north to allow for the additional lane.

But most of the more than 3,400 comments provided about the proposal during VDOT's survey window last summer were strongly opposed to the closure of the exit.

"NO to closing Exit 80," one respondent wrote. "It would negatively affect too many businesses and residents."

"Please don’t remove a vital exit," wrote another. "There have to be alternative options. I’ll spend more time in traffic if it means 80 will stay open. I think most people will."

Opined another: "Closing Exit 80 will undoubtedly increase traffic along Arthur Ashe Blvd., Hermitage Road, and Lakeside Ave. That in-town route will become more of a main route for those who now rely on Exit 80."

Interchange enhancement efforts slated to receive CVTA funding

As a result of that type of feedback, Henrico officials now expect that VDOT’s next proposal will include keeping Exit 80 open, Henrico Public Works Director Terrell Hughes told the Citizen late last month.

“VDOT has received feedback from the county and the residents that filled out the survey. . . on their concerns with the closure,” Hughes wrote in an email. “VDOT has acknowledged the opposition to closure and is in the process of revising the study recommendations accounting for the feedback. We anticipate the next recommendations to keep the interchange open.”

But keeping the exit open while still addressing safety concerns is presenting a challenge for VDOT officials, Hughes said.

“If the study recommends a preferred alternative that the county can support, we will pursue additional funding for the project with grant sources such as SMART SCALE, which is a major transportation funding program in Virginia,” Hughes said. SMART Scale funding evaluates potential transportation projects based upon a number of significant factors, including how well they will improve safety, reduce congestion, contribute to economic development and others.

The Bryan Park interchange is primarily located in Richmond, but the exit serves Lakeside, Bellevue, Laburnum Park, Ginter Park and other surrounding established communities just north of downtown.

Efforts to enhance the interchange also are tentatively slated to receive $10 million in funding from the Central Virginia Transportation Authority, which every other year uses 35% of its overall tax funding to support key regional projects. (The authority derives its funds through a 0.7% regional sales tax, a 7.6-cent per-gallon tax on standard gasoline and a 7.7-cent per-gallon tax on diesel fuel; in addition to its regional funding allocation, it also provides 50% of its revenues back to its member localities and 15% directly to GRTC.)

During its meeting late last month, the Central Virginia Transportation Authority board of directors reviewed the Bryan Park interchange project and a number of others that involve Henrico County as part of its proposed fourth round of funding, which would commit $131 million to projects for which member localities had submitted applications. (Click below for complete list of projects tentatively proposed to receive funding.)

The public can weigh in on the top-rated public works and transportation projects that are regional or specific to a jurisdiction from Feb. 11 to 26 by emailing information@cvtava.org.

The CVTA board also will receive public input during an in-person and Zoom public hearing Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. ahead of its planned vote that day to approve a six-year project list funding scenario. For details, visit https://cvtava.org/public-notices/.

Dina Weinstein is the Citizen’s community vitality reporter and a Report for America corps member, covering housing, health and transportation. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.