Since November 2024, a narrow roadway along the banks of the Rivanna River south of Darden Towe Park has been closed to motorized vehicles in order to implement one of the county’s planning visions.
“Free Bridge Lane provides a unique opportunity to further enhance the River corridor while improving upon the bicycle/pedestrian connectivity in the area,” reads a section of the Pantops Master Plan adopted by Albemarle County supervisors in June 2019.
The conversion of the roadway into a “green street” is one of a dozen catalyst projects intended to be built within the first eight years of the plan. The plan originally called for the road to remain open to traffic in one direction southbound from Darden Towe Park…