Detours no more: Henrico County’s Wilkinson Road Bridge reopens

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Tuesday, April 8 marked the "end of the road" for a Henrico County construction project -- literally.

Henrico County's Wilkinson Road Bridge is officially back open for the first time in almost two years after undergoing some much-needed safety improvements.

"You probably heard the old saying, 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone,' said Henrico County's Department of Public Works Director, Terrell Hughes, at the podium Tuesday. "Well, thankfully, in this case, it's not gone anymore."

8News was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new and improved bridge. To some, it may have just looked like asphalt and guardrails, but for Maeola Strother, it symbolized the end of a two-year-long headache.

"When [they said] it was going to be closed again… I almost screamed," Strother said.

Prone to flooding and safety concerns, the Wilkinson Road Bridge shut down in 2023. Henrico County officials said it desperately needed to be replaced.

"Now we know this closure wasn't easy," Hughes said. "The detours and the extra travel time, the added traffic on nearby roads like Azalea Avenue tested everyone's patience."

According to Henrico County transportation officials, more than 8,000 cars rely on this busy route each day. It's reportedly a critical connector for the nearby fire department and schools -- and everyone in between.

"You would go to church on this road. We go to the drugstore on this road, you know, and the doctor's [office]," Strother said. "What an inconvenience it was for our community."

Now, 20 months and around $8 million later, the bridge is wider, higher and ready for use. County leaders explained that the bridge replacement is designed to allow emergency access even in the roughest weather.

Addressing flooding concerns was not the only safety-focused goal for the project.

"I like to see the bicycle lanes in here," Strother's husband James described after looking at the road's new lanes specifically designated for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Strother and her loved ones told 8News that the re-imagined, updated bridge was worth the wait.

"We are happy to have this road open today," they said. "It's beautiful, too. It's a beautiful road."