Richmond families want safety fixes before $42M road overhaul
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A snapshot of the sidewalks around the intersection of Jahnke Road and Forest Hill Avenue. Photo: Anne Taylor Rawls
Richmond residents want immediate safety fixes near Westover Hills Elementary School rather than waiting for a $42 million Jahnke Road overhaul to finish in 2028.
Why it matters: Neighbors say crumbling sidewalks, dangerous turns and close calls with drivers put children, pedestrians and cyclists at risk.
- "I think my biggest worry is that someone is going to get hit by a car," says Paula Ogston-Nobile, a parent of two Westover Hills students who helped organize the effort.
Driving the news: Ogston-Nobile submitted a community-led petition calling for safety improvements at Jahnke and Forest Hill Avenue to Mayor Avula and the Department of Public Works on Tuesday, she tells Axios.
By the numbers: The petition collected 187 responses from Sept. 27 through Oct. 15.
- Nearly 78% reported personally witnessing safety concerns, including drivers failing to yield, near misses and aggressive behavior toward the crossing guard.
- Almost 98% supported temporary road and sidewalk repairs, 85% backed a no-turn-on-red restriction and 88% wanted an urgent traffic safety assessment.
The city has already evaluated the intersection, city spokesperson Jensen Gavulic tells Axios. A broader Forest Hill Avenue safety assessment, which includes its intersection with Jahnke, is scheduled for winter 2027.
What they're saying: Residents described deteriorating sidewalks forcing people in wheelchairs and parents pushing strollers into the road, per accounts shared by Ogston-Nobile.
- Others reported drivers turning from Jahnke onto Forest Hill veering onto the damaged sidewalk.
The other side: Richmond transportation officials acknowledged the concerns but told Axios a no-turn-on-red restriction wouldn't address the intersection's primary conflict: Drivers can still turn right on green while pedestrians are crossing.
- That creates an overlap even with pedestrians getting a head start, Gavulic tells Axios.
- A crossing guard can stop traffic in all directions during school arrival and dismissal.
Yes, but: "Sometimes people act like they just have the right of way to go, even if there's a crossing guard there saying, 'No, you need to stop,'" Ogston-Nobile says.
Zoom out: Richmond began construction earlier this year on the Jahnke Road Improvements Project, bringing improved sidewalks, protected bike infrastructure and speed tables near Westover Hills Elementary.
- Construction is now expected to finish in summer 2028, Gavulic says, pushed back from spring 2028.
- Ogston-Nobile says improvements closest to Forest Hill Avenue aren't expected until late in the project.
The catch: The city hasn't committed to temporary sidewalk and pavement repairs.
- "Those issues cannot wait like another two years," Ogston-Nobile says.