Richmond-Area Neighborhoods Near the James River Bridges: Which Crossing Serves Which Side of the River

Published October 17, 2026

People searching near the river often ask the wrong first question. Instead of “which neighborhood,” the better one is “which bridge will I use every morning.” In the Richmond area the James River splits the City of Richmond from Chesterfield County for much of its length, with Henrico County on the north bank farther west and east. Every crossing is a different road, a different on-ramp and sometimes a different toll.

No public dataset tells you how many households use each bridge, so we do not rank crossings by traffic or price. We use checkable proxies instead: the route each bridge carries, the interchanges named by the agency that runs it, and the neighborhoods those roads actually touch. The order below is geographic, west to east, not a ranking. For the commute-time angle, see our guide to commuting downtown, and for the western county line see the Route 288 corridor.

The crossings in the metro, from west to east

Route 288. The westernmost major crossing in our market carries Route 288 and is covered in our Route 288 guide, so we leave it out of the neighborhood picks here.

Huguenot Memorial Bridge (Route 147). Huguenot Road carries Route 147 over the river. Our route notes put the Chippenham Parkway and Robious Road junctions on the south side and River Road, which serves the University of Richmond, on the north side. That makes it the crossing for the west end.

Powhite Parkway Bridge. RMTA describes Powhite Parkway as a 3.4-mile road running from Chippenham Parkway to the Cary Street ramps, with a 0.4-mile bridge over the river, a Forest Hill interchange south of the river and Douglasdale ramps north of it. The same page says VDOT opened the Powhite Extension in November 1988 to connect the parkway to western Chesterfield. It is a tolled road with a 20-lane mainline plaza.

Boulevard Bridge (Route 161). This 2,030-foot steel truss bridge opened in 1925, and the Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority (RMTA) says it was built to open up the Westover Hills area south of the river. It is nicknamed the Nickel Bridge for its original toll. The RMTA lists a height limit of 11 feet 6 inches and a weight limit of 7,500 pounds, which matters on moving day.

Lee Bridge (US 1 and US 301). Officially the Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge, it carries Belvidere Street traffic across the river toward I-64 and I-95. Its name has been the subject of public renaming discussion, so you may see other names on maps and in news coverage. We use “Lee Bridge” here and the route numbers so you can match it.

Manchester Bridge (US 60) and Mayo Bridge (US 360). These two downtown crossings land in Manchester. The City of Richmond’s quarterly capital report, which we read, lists a “Mayo Bridge Rehabilitation” project, a Hull Street streetscape project from the Mayo Bridge to 9th Street (listed as “Construction to start Summer 2026”) and a Fall Line Trail project over the Manchester Bridge at the early concept stage. You can see the same list in the city’s fiscal year 2026 third quarter capital improvement report.

The I-95 bridge. Interstate 95 crosses the river just east of downtown. It is the choice for travelers heading north-south through the metro and is not tied to one neighborhood.

We left I-64 off the list because it stays on the north side of the river through the metro area.

How we matched neighborhoods to crossings, and what we cannot measure

A neighborhood “near” a bridge is a judgment. For each pick below we name the road that connects it to a crossing and say who it is wrong for. We do not state price ranges, school ratings or drive times, because those change and we did not measure them. The route facts come from the RMTA and the City of Richmond pages we cite and from published route descriptions, which you should confirm with VDOT before you plan around a closure.

Westover Hills: the Boulevard Bridge neighborhood

Westover Hills is the community the RMTA says the Boulevard Bridge was built to serve, and Route 161 reaches it through Westover Hills Boulevard. If you want the shortest hop north toward Byrd Park and the Museum District, this is the crossing to look at. It is a poor fit if you drive a heavy vehicle often, because of the 7,500-pound weight limit, or if you object to paying a toll on a daily commute.

Forest Hill: Powhite Parkway access on the south side

Forest Hill shares its name with the interchange the RMTA lists on the south side of the Powhite Bridge. That is a checkable reason it suits drivers who want a parkway route toward the Cary Street ramps. It is a weaker choice if you want to walk or bike to downtown, because the nearest downtown-oriented crossings are east of here.

The Museum District: the north end of the Boulevard Bridge

On the north bank, Route 161 curves through Byrd Park, and The Museum District sits next to that corridor. People who want a city address with a quick connection to Westover Hills and to the Boulevard Bridge will find the geography convenient. It is the wrong pick for someone who wants a large yard or a low-traffic street, since this is an established urban area with a grid of through streets.

Westhampton: the University of Richmond side of Huguenot Road

Westhampton connects to the west-end crossing through River Road, which serves the University of Richmond, and Route 147. It suits buyers who want the Huguenot Bridge as a regular route to the Chesterfield side. It is wrong for anyone who needs a direct highway on-ramp close to the front door, because River Road and Cary Street Road are neighborhood arteries rather than interstates.

Manchester: three downtown bridges in reach

Manchester sits where the Manchester Bridge, Mayo Bridge and Lee Bridge land on the south bank. That puts it within reach of three downtown routes, and the city’s capital report shows active planning around Hull Street and the Manchester Bridge. It is a poor match if you want a quiet cul-de-sac, or if construction near Hull Street and the Mayo Bridge would disrupt your daily route.

Midlothian: the Chesterfield end of the west-side routes

Midlothian is in Chesterfield County, west of the city, and Route 147 begins at US 60 (Midlothian Turnpike) there. The Powhite Extension, which the RMTA says connects the parkway to western Chesterfield, is the other reason it belongs on a bridge guide. It is the wrong choice if you want a short downtown trip without a parkway toll, since the closest downtown bridges are farther east. If your priorities are different, our guide to neighborhoods near the James River parks may fit better.

Next steps

Before you tour, drive the bridge you plan to use at your real commute hour. Then talk with a lender about budget using our mortgage calculator, or start with our buyer process page. To see what is listed on each side of the river, use the Mission Realty property search.