The road Chesterfield has carried on its thoroughfare plan since the late 1980s is finally about to get built. Jack Jacobs reported for Richmond BizSense this morning that the county expects construction on the first segments of the $565 million Powhite Parkway extension to begin this winter, with requests for proposals going out within weeks and a Phase 1 contract awarded by year end.
The county’s own Powhite Parkway Extension project page confirms the two-phase structure and the Phase 1 alignment to Woolridge Road. Here is the reporting, and then the part that matters if you own or are shopping along the route.
What is being built, and when
The extension runs roughly nine miles from the Powhite’s current end point near the Route 288 interchange, south and west to Hull Street Road. It will not be tolled. Access is planned at Woolridge Road, Genito Road, Duval Road, Magnolia Green Parkway and Hull Street Road, though not at Westerleigh Parkway.
Two segments go first. Phase 1 runs 2.25 miles to Woolridge Road, budgeted at $150 million, four lanes, targeted for 2029. It is fully funded through the Central Virginia Transportation Authority, which finances regional projects from sales and fuel tax receipts, split between a $27 million direct allocation and $123 million in bonds repaid from the county’s share of CVTA collections.
The southern segment, between Westerleigh Parkway and Hull Street, is budgeted at $165 million and targeted for 2031. Chesterfield has secured $45 million from Virginia Economic Development Partnership programs plus $5 million in federal money. That segment also serves the planned Upper Magnolia Green technology park.
Full completion is pencilled in for 2034. Of the $565 million total, the county says $297 million is in hand.
The detail most coverage skips: it opens as two lanes
Phase 1 to Woolridge gets four lanes. The longer stretch from Woolridge to Hull Street Road opens with two, one each way. The county will grade for a third and fourth lane now, at today’s prices, so widening is cheaper later. County transportation director Chessa Walker put the logic plainly to BizSense: spend current dollars on the earthwork, because later dollars buy less of it.
Widening the entire parkway is not in the current scope and is estimated at more than $800 million. If you are buying in Chesterfield County partly because of this road, that is the sentence to keep. A two-lane arterial through a corridor the county is actively encouraging to grow is a different commuting proposition from the four-lane road in the renderings, and the gap could last a decade.
What it means for the corridor
Chesterfield is not building this to relieve existing congestion so much as to get ahead of growth it has already approved around Moseley. The county recently signalled it is done approving new data centers in the area, and the Upper Magnolia Green site is being readied for an employer rather than housing.
- Access improves before capacity does. New interchanges at Genito, Duval and Magnolia Green Parkway will shorten trips from parts of Moseley that currently funnel onto Hull Street Road. That is a real resale positive for homes a few streets back from the alignment.
- Construction is the near-term reality. Winter 2026 to 2029 on Phase 1 means haul routes, lane closures and noise near Woolridge Road. If you plan to sell inside that window, price the questions in rather than discovering them at the inspection.
- The shared-use path is a listing feature. It runs the full length and ties into Horner Park. In a submarket where trail access sells, that is worth more than it sounds.
Reading the alignment against a specific address is the exercise that actually matters, and it is the same one as checking what is being built near a home before you buy. The phase maps on the county page show where the road lands street by street, alongside state highway records. Much of the development that prompted the road also came through rezonings carrying proffers.
Where the road touches homes
The alignment runs through the most active new-build territory in the metro. Moseley is the centre of it. Further east the corridor connects toward Midlothian, and the Hull Street end sits near established Woodlake. Buyers drawn here are largely shopping new construction across the Richmond area, which is the inventory this road is meant to serve.
We follow Chesterfield road and rezoning files as they move, because they change what a house is worth before they change the map. More development coverage sits in our Richmond Area News archive, or see what is on the market along the corridor now.
Questions Richmond-area readers actually ask
When does construction on the Powhite Parkway extension actually start?
Chesterfield officials say the first two segments are slated to begin construction in winter 2026, with a Phase 1 contract awarded by the end of the year.
Will the Powhite extension be tolled?
No. The extension will not be tolled, which is a meaningful distinction from the existing Powhite Parkway.
How long is the extension and where does it go?
About nine miles, from the current terminus near the Route 288 interchange south and west to Hull Street Road. Access is planned at Woolridge Road, Genito Road, Duval Road, Magnolia Green Parkway and Hull Street Road.
When will the whole project be finished?
The county anticipates full completion in 2034. Phase 1 to Woolridge Road is planned for 2029, and the Hull Street to Westerleigh segment for 2031.
How much of the money is in hand?
Chesterfield says $297 million of the $565 million total is lined up. Phase 1 is fully funded through Central Virginia Transportation Authority money, split between a $27 million direct allocation and $123 million in bond financing.
Will the extension be four lanes?
Not at first. Phase 1 will be four lanes, but the Woolridge to Hull Street stretch opens with two. Making the whole road four lanes is currently estimated at more than $800 million.
Does a new road like this help or hurt nearby home values?
It depends on distance. Better access to a growing area generally helps resale, while a home immediately adjacent to a new arterial faces noise questions a buyer will raise. Position relative to the alignment matters more than the project itself.
Is there a walking or biking component?
Yes. A shared-use path runs the length of the extension and ties into Horner Park.
Reporting credit: Jack Jacobs, Richmond BizSense, September 9, 2026. Phasing and figures confirmed against Chesterfield County’s published project page.
