It is one thing to come up with the idea of a new transportation project. It is another to secure funding to turn that concept into a reality that becomes part of the community.
Local and regional governments create plans that identify these ideas as a place to start. One such plan is the Jefferson Area Bike and Pedestrian Plan from 2019. This was one of the outcomes of a “Strengthening Systems” grant the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and the Piedmont Environmental Council were awarded by the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation in 2017.
One of the many projects listed in the “implementation strategies” chapter is a bridge over the Rivanna River to connect Albemarle’s Pantops area with Charlottesville’s Woolen Mills.
“Multiple potential locations have been discussed for the bridge over the Rivanna River and connection to Pantops, with a study needed to identify the most appropriate alignment,” reads one of five bulleted points for that section.
After adoption of the plan, transportation staff at the TJPDC followed through with an initial study that looked at two alternatives. The policy board of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization voted 4-1 in March 2022 to move forward with an alignment that would have its western end land in Albemarle County’s Broadway corridor rather than at Charlottesville’s Riverview Park.
The MPO moved forward with an application through the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Smart Scale process in the 2024 cycle with a very specific description.
“The project will provide a 3,100 linear ft (10-ft width) bicycle and pedestrian bridge (14-ft width beam or truss bridge) across the Rivanna River at East Market Street in Woolen Mills, connecting two important development areas on either side of the river,” reads the application.
The bridge ended up being unsuccessful in part because the cost estimate had risen to over $42.1 million.
Every year since, the MPO has attempted to secure additional federal funding to revisit the preliminary engineering for the project to see if the cost estimate could be lowered. A fourth application was made this year to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s BUILD program but was once again unsuccessful.
“Since we’ve submitted this in prior cycles, we have always received a rating of project merit or highly recommended,” said Taylor Lowery, transportation planning manager for the TJPDC. “We did not receive that this year. We actually got a rating of not recommended.”
This application was made under the administration of United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy who is following the lead of President Donald Trump to move funding to highway projects and downplay bike and pedestrian initiatives. In fact, the 51-page “Notice of Funding Opportunity” for the last BUILD cycle does not use the words “pedestrian” or “bicycle” even once. (take a look)
Lowery said she does not recommend pursuing this application again under this administration. There will be a chance to apply for additional BUILD funding and it will be up to the MPO on what to do. The MPO-Technical Committee had a brief discussion on October 6.
View the MPO Tech meeting
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Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the October 16, 2026 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. You can either subscribe through Substack or make a charitable contribution.
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