A new trail to the Pump House

There is a construction site near the Nickle Bridge toll station that I’ve been running by for the past month or so. My first fear was that they were building a new road access to enter the trail parking lot right after the toll booths, but I realized that would cause traffic issues. While searching for another IFB, I recently came across the plans for the project and I was pleasantly surprised. The city is installing a new Pump House Park Trail that will connect the sidewalk of the Nickle Bridge to the North Bank trail entrance and the Pump House beyond. The project which includes “500-foot long and eight-foot wide multiuse asphalt trail with an ADA-compliant portion, requisite storm water management elements including a rain garden, and other landscaping and site furnishing elements” was awarded to Jeffery Stack Inc. in Jersey, VA for $186,380. I was surprised there were only four bidders, but contractors are very busy right now.

The plans designed by the Timmons Group, attached below, look simple and thoughtful. I appreciate the use of native plants in the rain garden. I’d like to know more about the policy or program that required the use of natives. Pollinators are going to love the wax myrtles, sweetspires, dogwoods, tulip tree, bee balm and more. I would have liked to see fruit-bearing shrubs included in the designs like serviceberry, blackberry, and blueberry. I like the graceful curve of the trail, and the way that the project prioritizes foot traffic at the juncture of so many beautiful outdoor spaces: Byrd Park, Maymont, the Nickle Bridge/Southside/Buttermilk Trail, the North Bank trail, and of course the Pump House. I especially hope the Pump House, with more foot traffic, visibility, and awareness, continues to become the destination that folks have been saying it could be for years. Designs and files attached below.