The Parkway was controversial from the inception of the idea in the 1960s (see history below), but it is an asset to our neighborhood in a number of ways. It presumably has reduced the cut-through commuter-type traffic in our neighborhood coming from/to Rio Road. Prior to the Parkway's construction, over 20,000 cars a day had been using Rio Road / Park Street, and the corridor had become very clogged with traffic, particularly during rush hours. The backups that regularly occurred certainly made cutting through our neighborhood more attractive.
The creation of the Parkway also brought with it more permanently protected parkland owned by the City. Most of the land between Rio and Melbourne had been owned by a private developer. Even though it had remained essentially woodland up until the construction of the Parkway, the developer was starting to do some clearing for unknown purposes prior to government acquisition. The land between Rio Road and Melbourne Road is in the County, but the County gave the City title to the land adjoining the Parkway at the end of construction to compensate the City for the loss of parkland in McIntire Park.
Trails The Rivanna Trails Foundation (RTF) had created and maintained trails in the woodlands both north and south of Melbourne Road in this area ever since the mid 1990s. The loop trails north of Melbourne were particularly enjoyed by many people for hiking and jogging. Indeed, it was a nice island of nature inside the urban ring. The trails' existence, however, was at the mercy of the owner, and at some point that area would likely have turned into apartments, townhouses, or the like.
The Parkway was designed with a separate paved multi-use path along its entire length. The path creates a nice North/South way for pedestrians and cyclists to safely and enjoyably get from Rio Road to the downtown area by connecting with the Schenk's Greenway Trail along McIntire Road. After the Parkway opened, the RTF also restored its trails in the Melbourne-to-Rio corridor, giving people a rustic option for walking or mountain biking.
The map in the slide show below indicates both the paved trail and the RTF rustic trails (note, however, that the rustic trail next to the railroad tracks can get closed over in the Summer months by the large kudzu patch it goes through at one point. We are hoping the City will take on mowing that section of trail at the same time it mows the sides of the JWP. So far, however, it has been up to RTF's volunteers to try to keep it open). For a zoomable PDF of the map, click here.
History
The Plan for a parkway in the current location existed for decades and was referred to as "The Meadow Creek Parkway." One of a number of sticking points to getting it done was the need for an expensive interchange at the Route 250 Bypass where the Parkway was to join up with McIntire Road. John Warner (R) was one of Virginia's U. S. Senators from 1979 until 2009, and in the mid 2000s he successfully secured a $25 million federal funding "earmark" for the interchange. The Parkway was built in two stages. The first phase was the County portion, from Rio Road to Melbourne Road. Construction began in 2009, and it was opened for traffic in February 2012.
The Parkway was, however, quite controversial, with some strong opposition, particularly regarding the portion that was to run from Melbourne Road to Route 250 through the lower part of East McIntire Park. Opponents created yard signs that sprang up around town, imploring "Save McIntire Park." To the opponents, the Park was under attack, not only by the Parkway plans but also from the proposed YMCA and the talk of a new Master Plan for the East part of the park that had primarily been the home to a 1930s-era 9-hole pasture golf course.
The opponents of the Parkway filed suit in federal court to try to stop the Parkway after they had already lost the political battle (i.e., Council voted to move forward with the Parkway, in a close vote). The Court, however, ultimately ruled against the opponents, and construction proceeded, leading to the opening of the City section and interchange in January of 2015.