Want to see more projects like this? Ask Charlottesville City Council and Albemarle County’s Board of Supervisors to Support Funding for Better Connectivity and Access to the Outdoors
The Charlottesville / Albemarle region has some great places to hike or ride a bike, but they’re often rugged and far away. There is a distinct lack of flat, calm places, close to town, where a parent can teach a child to ride a bike or skate, where someone with a walker or in a chair can enjoy barrier-free access to the outdoors, or where unstructured play or informal activities can pop up organically.
Albemarle County has taken an important step toward meeting this need by closing Free Bridge Lane to cars. This is the result of longtime advocacy from neighborhood residents and others passionate about walking, biking and rolling. If the new park space proves popular, the one-year pilot program will be made permanent and numerous amenities (such as overlooks and program areas) will be added, to create a riverside promenade.
We encourage you to go visit Free Bridge Lane, add it to your mix of outdoor destinations, and take part in making Free Bridge Lane better and permanent. Read on to learn more.
Traffic Cut-through Turned Greenway
Free Bridge Lane has historically been an underused “dead road” between Darden Towe Park and Route 250 along the Rivanna River’s eastern bank. Vehicle travel that did exist was unpredictable and often at high velocity as drivers would speed through trying to circumvent nearby traffic lights. The existing walking path alongside the road is far too narrow to accommodate groups, bikers or increased pedestrian traffic without spilling into the travel way.
Advocates for active mobility and outdoor access have shared a multi-decade vision to change that. The resident-led 2019 Pantops Master Plan says,
“Free Bridge Lane provides a unique opportunity to further enhance the River corridor while improving upon the bicycle / pedestrian connectivity in the area. Free Bridge Lane should be reimagined as a ‘green street’ that integrates elements of stormwater management into the street design to reduce runoff, while also enhancing facilities for bicycle and pedestrian travel along its length.”
A year after the Pantops plan was ratified, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, PEC led a collaborative effort to repurpose under-utilized roadways and other spaces to quickly address the exploding demand for safe spaces to walk and bike – demand that has increased since that time. Our memo identified Free Bridge Lane as one such opportunity, as well as more ambitious targets like weekend closure of the John Warner Parkway or even portions of West Main Street.
In the years since, area residents (such as the Pantops Community Advisory Committee) and Albemarle County staff have remained focused and considered two proposals: one that would restrict traffic on Free Bridge Lane and one that would eliminate cars entirely. Guided by public comments and Board of Supervisor feedback, the County opted to turn the entire lane into a pedestrian-friendly greenway. The concept design reuses existing asphalt to create a 15’ wide shared promenade with multiple plazas intended for trail connections or overlooks.
The future promenade will introduce park amenities such as wildlife viewing blinds, picnic areas, fitness stations, public art installations, benches and playgrounds. Additionally, Free Bridge Lane may become a site for conservation with appropriate riparian buffers and stormwater management along the river and wildflower meadows.
These changes would foster community recreation and engagement, ranging from yoga in the park or get-togethers to colorfully painted streetways as children learn to ride their bikes. On a larger scale, the plazas and river overlooks hold the possibility for pop-up events such as markets or fairs.
A Promenade 5½ Years in the Making
After years of community advocacy, finally, Albemarle County closed the Free Bridge Lane gates to vehicular traffic on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Rivanna District Board of Supervisors representative Bea LaPisto-Kirtley and others are encouraging residents in the area to visit the space and make it their own. The county has installed counters to measure the amount of visitation.
The county is allowing a one-year trial of the promenade before deciding whether to make the changes permanent. Once the pilot year ends, the County will assess public interest and active use of the greenway to determine future adjustments.
How You Can Help
Your actions can help turn pilot plans into reality:
- Vote for the park simply by using Free Bridge Lane.
- Thank the Board of Supervisors for authorizing the project; encourage them to expand it.
- While you have their attention, remind both County and City that more projects like this (connectivity and access to the outdoors) are urgently needed — and need to be funded.
- Donate to support this project via the Albemarle County Parks Foundation for improvements like safety rails in the underpass, benches or picnic tables.
- Support PEC’s region-wide advocacy for parks and greenways.
Although Free Bridge Lane looks like an inconsequential stretch of pavement tucked along the river, it’s the first few threads in a larger tapestry. Charlottesville and Albemarle County residents alike envision tranquil spaces intertwined throughout the urban area, bringing the community together and connecting them to everyday nature.
If Free Bridge Lane becomes an established promenade, it’s likely that similar spaces will be made in surrounding neighborhoods with a network of conserved streams, parks and the river corridor linking them together.
Practical Considerations for Your Visit
Free Bridge Lane itself is about a half-mile long. It is wide, paved and nearly flat.
It is connected to Darden Towe Park and the Old MIlls Trail on the Albemarle County side of the Rivanna. Use the underpass and cross Free Bridge to reach the two-mile paved Rivanna River Greenway in Charlottesville.
There is some parking at both ends, but it is best to park at the end of Elk Drive [here].
The nearest public restroom is in Darden Towe Park.
PEC volunteer Cat Orescan contributed to this blog post. When not at home with her two cats, Kahlua and Olly, she can be found exploring Charlottesville’s farmers markets or Downtown businesses.