Over the past decade, the Richmond Region has spent tens of millions of dollars on transportation projects designed to enhance the gateway to the region. Improvements to Richmond International Airport and Old Main Street Station have not only contributed to enhancing the travel experience for visitors arriving by plane and train, but they also have gone a long way toward creating the image of Richmond as a modern, progressive city.
And yet, what do the tens of thousands of motorists speeding up and down Interstate 95 think of our city? Actually, I’m not sure I want to know the answer.
Notwithstanding an impressive skyline as you approach Richmond from the south, there is not much that is particularly inviting by way of this major thoroughfare. Besides a smattering of signs denoting some historical attractions — squeezed together so closely that they are virtually impossible to read at 60 mph — there is little along the way that tells the Richmond story: no real sense of our rich history and culture, no celebration of the James River, no branding of our region as a hub of innovation, an image we have laid claim to through such initiatives as RVA Creates and i.e*.
Why would anyone stop here? Heck, we don’t even have a “Welcome to Richmond” sign — although the commonwealth, the city of Richmond and Henrico County are taking some first steps in the right direction, as described by Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton in his Commentary column today.
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According to VDOT, more than 160,000 cars bypass Richmond on I-95 each day, many of which are from outside the region. Their impression of Richmond — as a prospective place to stop and eat, take a tour, do business, relocate to — is formed by what they see motoring down what is our de facto Main Street. And let’s be honest, what they are seeing is not pretty.
Like RIC and Main Street Station, I-95 presents an opportunity. The interstate — along with its bridges and exit ramps, lighting and signage — can be the tableaux on which we portray all that is wonderful and unique about Richmond.
And so here is an idea: let’s dedicate at least two or three miles of I-95 — from the James River to the I-64 east exit — as the “Creativity Corridor.” And let’s make it spectacular, so spectacular that when unsuspecting motorists come upon it, they say, “Wow, Richmond has really got it going on.”
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What would motorists encounter as they entered Richmond’s Creativity Corridor?
- Archways. Imagine entering and exiting the Corridor under a glistening arch that welcomed you to Richmond and set the stage for what you are about to encounter.
- Landscaping. Turn the grassy areas beyond the shoulders as well as the exit cloverleafs into beautiful gardens – miniature Maymonts and Lewis Ginters – with large trees shielding motorists from less attractive sight lines.
- Signage. Create a consistent visual identity for signage up and down the Corridor, and dedicate signs that promote our best assets. Work with outdoor advertisers on turning the billboards into giant frames of art and dedicate electronic billboards to showcasing pieces of art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts or the best artwork of local school children.
- Public art. Commission large public art pieces, such as sculptures, topiary and mobiles and place them prominently along the route. Consider large-scale fountains whose mists compel drivers to turn on their windshield wipers, or waterfalls that cascade down to the shoulder.
- Lighting. Immerse the Corridor in a subtle blue light that projects from either side of the roadway — and carry that light onto the buildings, signage and artwork.
- Bridges and overpasses. Use the bridges spanning over the Corridor as templates for conveying electronic messages about Richmond news and events. (Think Times Square.)
- Multimedia. Create a 10-minute audio program about Richmond and broadcast it on a loop on a dedicated radio station. Invite travelers to tune in 10 miles before they get here so they are already excited about Richmond before they even reach the Creativity Corridor. (Wonder if we could get the Geico gecko to narrate?)
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I’m just scratching the surface, and given the incredible creative resources we have at our disposal — from our fantastic advertising agencies and the VCU BrandCenter to architectural and landscaping firms to museum curators and historians and many, many others — we have the potential to create three miles of extraordinary excitement, three miles unlike any other of the highway’s 1,919.74 miles.
During President Kennedy’s inaugural parade in January 1961, he was struck by the dilapidated condition of the buildings along the route, and so he formed the President’s Council on Pennsylvania Avenue, a federal body that eventually oversaw the rehabilitation of one of our nation’s most beloved boulevards.
Let’s create an equivalent entity here in Richmond, a group that can harness our creative resources and put a plan of action together that transforms the interstate into an artery that carries the lifeblood of our future.
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