RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Residents in one Richmond neighborhood are fed up with a road they say is unsafe and dangerous.
People who live along Bliley Road in Forrest Hill are speaking out yet again after they say they are still in need of significant action to make the area safer.
“You see people walking down Bliley Road all the time. And they have to pretty much dodge cars,” said Jennifer Lamendola, a nearby resident.
8News reported similar concerns from residents for the same stretch of roadway in 2021. At that time, people 8News spoke with said the lack of sidewalks, speeding, overgrown plants and flooding were all at the top of their minds. Some of these issues are still ongoing, according to Lamendola.
“The only area that kind of gets away from the cars and gets off the road is a drainage ditch. So, it’s like [you’ve] got to choose between the road and the drainage ditch,” she said.
City officials told 8News in 2021 that a traffic study had determined the best solution for the road would be adding a sidewalk behind the curb and gutter. However, it was said that the project would cost $3 million and, after that, there was no official word on if it was ever approved.
On Monday, Aug. 18, 2023, 8News reached out to see if there had been any pedestrian safety improvements since then. A spokesperson for the City responded on Friday morning, saying they “do not have any updates to share.”
“I didn’t even know there was any talk about adding a sidewalk, I’ve always just been shouting about it to my friends and neighbors,” Lamendola said.
Lamendola added the City launched a survey for residents to give feedback about improvements they would like to see in their neighborhoods. She said she took this opportunity to let the city know her thoughts.
“I just really, really want someone to put a sidewalk in,” Lamendola said. “This neighborhood is gorgeous, it connects easily to Riverside Drive and all of these bike paths. But you can’t get to it from here so people are just kind of isolated it feels like.”
According to the DMV, there have also been at least 12 crashes on Bliley Road since 2019, one of which was fatal.
