Richmond officials outline safety improvements for Hull Street

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond officials are detailing major improvements coming to Hull Street, one of the city’s busiest and most crash-prone corridors.

More than 200 crashes have been reported on Hull Street since January 2024, according to Virginia traffic data. Data shared by the city found that between 2017 and 2024, approximately 60 crashes have happened each year. Residents like Ashley Pinney say safety concerns are part of their daily commute.

"I intentionally avoid Hull Street," Pinney said. "I think it’s scary. I think it’s dangerous. There’s too many potholes. People go way too fast."

The Department of Public Works hosted a community meeting Tuesday night to hear directly from neighbors and share updates on two projects that are tied to a billon dollar investment in citywide safety improvements over the next eight years.

The Hull Street Corridor Improvements between Hay Road and Warwick Road are currently underway. The $37 million project includes new sidewalks, streetlights and storm drainage. The area will also be redesigned to add grass median strips, which would move pedestrians further from traffic.

"Our goal for this project was accessibility, safety, mobility, economic development," said Adel Edward with the Department of Public Works.

During its presentation, DPW explained that much of the financing for this project is coming from the Federal Smart Scale and Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds. Edwards says the significant number of accidents on the Hull Street Corridor allowed the city to qualify for those federal funds to address the issue.

Phase one of the project is expected to be completed by April 2027. Following its completion, the final two phases of construction will be completed simultaneously to limit the disturbance of traffic.

Just east of Southside Plaza, a paving project starting at Cowardin Avenue is set to begin next summer. That work will reduce four lanes down to two in an effort to slow traffic.

“It’s going to slow people down. And that’s the whole goal of this project, is to get people driving the correct speed,” project manager Kenny Horak said.

DPW officials said some traffic could be diverted into nearby neighborhoods during construction which raised concerns for residents like Pinney. Still, she said the temporary inconvenience may be worth it.

“If they can do the project quickly, where I live, and keep things moving on Hull that would be ideal,” Pinney said. “But I understand if it’s a little bit of a headache for the next summer until things get really moving along.”