The design process of the Mayo Bridge replacement project is now underway. The Virginia Dept. of Transportation has released the results of a public survey from earlier this year and will host a citizen information meeting this month to gather more feedback.

At a community meeting in May, neighborhood groups discussed the multi-modal opportunities the future bridge could offer. Those sentiments appear to be reflected in the VDOT survey results.

A pie chart of existing bridge concerns shows cyclist and pedestrian safety at 34% and 33%, respectively. | Chart via VDOT documents

Roughly a third of survey respondents included cyclist safety as an existing bridge concern, and another third included pedestrian safety.

When asked about the highest priority for traffic, 86% said it should be to increase bike-ped safety.

VDOT is hosting a citizen information meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Plan RVA Office.

In advance of the meeting, the department released a presentation with details about the replacement and several concepts for the new bridge.

Two concepts show the addition of protected recreation areas (in green) and wider sidewalks (orange). | Images via VDOT documents

The new Mayo Bridge will likely follow a slightly different path across the James. VDOT says the new alignment will ease construction detours, reduce the sharp road bend at the flood wall, and increase the size of the western portion of the future Mayo Park.

The new bridge will be at least 66 feet wide, but VDOT could pursue a 76-foot option. The increase would raise the projected cost by around $25 million, but could create space for five-foot-wide bike lanes on each side of the bridge.

All the proposed concepts include four lanes of vehicle traffic, but VDOT says it's open to hearing ideas on reducing the number of travel lanes. It also wants feedback on bridge configuration changes, including using barriers or adding overhang bump-outs for fishing and sightseeing.

Quick facts

How much will the new bridge cost? Projected cost is $168-$203 million, depending on bridge width
How long will it take? The estimate is 18-24 months, or at least that's how long the detours will be up
Can the design change? As of September, yes
How can I provide input? Go to the citizen information meeting, fill out an online comment sheet, or contact project manager William Wheeler directly