The Mayo Bridge is being put on a 'road diet.' Lanes will be reduced after repaving

The city will repave the Mayo Bridge beginning next week, a process that is expected to take about 10 days.

When that work is finished, the road will be painted with one lane in each direction, instead of the current two lanes.

In a press release, Richmond Director of Transportation Andy Boenau referred to that decision as a "pilot road diet." The city expects to do a full replacement of the bridge in the coming years, and has discussed reducing to two lanes, with additional space for pedestrians and bicyclists, as part of that effort.

The city will collect data from the pilot program to inform its decisions about the rebuild.

Resurfacing is needed now because the road currently has a Pavement Condition Index of zero out of 100.

“Resurfacing the Mayo Bridge provides a smoother, safer ride today while allowing us to test operational changes that will help manage traffic for upcoming construction projects,” Boenau wrote. “It also creates a more comfortable experience for people walking and rolling across the bridge as Richmond continues investing in better connections to the riverfront and Mayo Island Park.”