Commission OKs $790,400 for Depot Gateway intersection upgrades to improve bike and pedestrian access

The Richmond Redevelopment Commission voted unanimously June 16 to approve Resolution 5 (2026), awarding up to $790,400 from the John’s Manville allocation area to fund Depot Gateway intersection improvements.

Jack Stocks, senior engineer and project manager with Clark Deets (Indianapolis), described the five‑point intersection work at D Street, Seventh Street and Fort Wayne, emphasizing upgrades to end‑of‑life traffic signals, ADA curb ramps and new crosswalks that will better connect the Cardinal Greenway to the depot district. Stocks said the project will remove a seldom‑used slip lane to make space for a new bike/ped connector and will modernize signal hardware from large steel spans to mast‑arm configurations.

Stocks said the project includes limited paving and sidewalk work along portions of D Street but does not repave the entire roadway, and that landscaping was not included in the current scope. He also said there will be no permanent street closures during construction; traffic management will rely on lane or flagging operations while work proceeds.

A commissioner raised a concern that temporary pedestrian channelizers could overlap the patio of a business called Little Sheba’s; Stocks said channelizers are temporary and their placement would be adjusted before bidding to avoid harming private businesses.

A motion to approve the appropriation carried on a roll‑call vote with all members present recorded in favor. Staff said project drawings and final construction documents will be used to refine staging and any business impacts prior to procurement.