Henrico dedicates its first Fall Line Trail section

Henrico County officials Tuesday celebrated the completion of a small, but significant, stretch of the Fall Line Trail in Lakeside.

During a dedication ceremony in bright sunlight at Spring Park, officials officially cut the ribbon on a 1,400-foot section of the 12-foot-wide trail, which ultimately will connect Ashland to Petersburg along 43 winding miles.

The ceremony marked the completion of the first of eight trail sections in Henrico, which eventually will total about 7.5 miles between Bryan Park in Richmond and the county’s border with Hanover at the Chickahominy River to the north. Tuesday’s ceremony also marked the completion of a high-visibility, 12-foot-wide crosswalk with a hybrid beacon (a pedestrian-activated signal system) that will help shuttle riders and pedestrians across Lakeside Avenue between Spring Park and Bryan Park.

A former bank building at the entrance to Spring Park will become the site of the Sports Backers’ new headquarters, plans that organization’s leadership announced last October during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Spring Park portion of the trail. Construction of a trailhead at the same site, which will include restrooms and amenities for trail users, also is planned.

Calling the completion of the Spring Park section “a significant milestone in the history of our county and our community,” Fairfield District Supervisor Roscoe Cooper, III said the trail would “serve as a vital form of connectivity for pedestrians, cyclists and nature enthusiasts alike.

“It’s more than just a trail – it’s a gateway to our parks, neighborhoods and history, and his section we stand on today is just the beginning.”

The adjacent phase of the trail will run from Spring Park to Dumbarton Road, and the other six phases will continue north toward the Chickahominy. The trail will cross behind the Lakeside Youth Baseball complex and along a portion of Belmont Golf Course, before heading east along Hilliard Road to Brook Road. Then it will head north to St. Joseph’s Villa, cross Parham Road and follow Cleveland Street north to Mountain Road before assuming a path parallel to Longdale Avenue. Finally, it will shift slightly west to meet Greenwood Road at I-295, cross the interstate and head north to the Hanover line.

Henrico’s remaining portions may or may not be completed in order, Henrico Public Works Director Terrell Hughes told the Citizen. That’s because county officials are still working to complete right-of-way acquisition along the route, and certain portions involve more property owners than others. The county intends to complete all of its sections by sometime in late 2026, Hughes said.