Henrico will use state funding to address pedestrian road safety
HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - Henrico County will use millions of dollars in state funding to address pedestrian road safety.
“Once night falls, the lighting is terrible,” resident Cynthia Jefferson said. “You can barely see the people out here at all. It’s crazy.”
Lights are just one of the many issues Jefferson says she’d like to see change along Nine Mile Road in Henrico’s East End.
Jefferson lives close by and says this intersection sees a lot of foot traffic with no pedestrian crossways.
While this crash remains under investigation, this marks the sixth pedestrian fatality in Henrico County this year.
“I see handicap people trying to cross the street with walkers, wheelchairs, people with children, pregnant women,” Jefferson said.
She says she’s reached out to the Virginia Department of Transportation for a year to fix the problem.
“Still no calls received from VDOT,” said Jefferson. “As a resident, VDOT needs to get off their behind and do their job.”
NBC12 reached out to VDOT for a statement on Monday about Jefferson’s efforts.
“The result was that this inquiry became part of the request to improve this intersection,” said VDOT Spokesperson Melanie Stoke. “A project is currently being designed and will go out for bids to improve the intersection of Nine Mile Road and Kenway Avenue, which includes pedestrian crosswalks and push buttons.”
Henrico County’s Director of Public Works, Terrell Hughes, says $17 million will be allocated towards building new sidewalks, reconstructing intersections and creating pedestrian accommodations along Nine Mile Road. Hughes says they won’t start making headway until mid-2024.
“It’s not as fast as we’d like, but we are advancing projects to address these issues,” Hughes said.
Hughes says an additional $31 million in state funding could be allocated towards road safety, but he says they won’t know until January.
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