The 1,700-long shared use pathway rests on the blackened steel structure of a 1901 Vepco levee, a hydro power dam that once harnessed power for riverfront industry along the James River. Hargreaves Associates authored the 2012 Riverfront Plan, identifying the dam as the first project for implementation: An adaptive reuse, providing a non-motorized, universally accessible route across the James River rapids, connecting south bank Manchester & the James River Park System with north bank downtown Richmond.
The Hargreaves-designed project retrofits the weathered steel structure, widening it for cycling and pedestrian use, bringing more people out over the rushing river, while kayakers and rafters drift into Class IV rapids. On the south bank, the path hugs the 35’ tall Civil War-era Richmond and Petersburg railroad embankment. The tree-lined path curves around both sides of the steep embankment, ascending the downriver slope, culminating with a promontory view of the city skyline, and a bridge connection to Manchester.
Mayor Dwight Jones opened the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge in Richmond, Virginia on 2 December 2016.