The Va. Capital Trail and what greenways can mean to a city

February 9, 2012 · 1 minute read

I recently spoke with Beth Weisbrod, Executive Director of the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation, about the progress being made on the Jamestown-to-Williamsburg-to-Richmond greenway — which section would be completed next, when Richmond would finish its portion, when the whole thing would be done, etc. She said they’re still on schedule for a summer of 2014 completion date, with Richmond likely to be the last section. In March, contractors will break ground on the Sherwood Forest phase, which runs 13.5 miles from Charles City County to the Chickahominy River. When that’s done in the fall of 2013, riders and walkers will be able to traverse 33.5 miles of unbroken green

To offer a sense of what the trail, and a network of others like it, could mean to Central Virginians, she sent me this video about Minneapolis’ Midtown Greenway. Bicycling Magazine named the city the No. 1 bike city in America, and after watching the video, you’ll see why. It’ll get you excited for what could be here in Richmond.

 My favorite quote from the video: “To be able to get around on your bike gives you a connection to the place where you live that is very different than moving around in your car.” Well said.