Woods Creek Trail's Year of Detours, and What Changes When the Lime Kiln Bridge Comes Down

Most of this year's construction in Lexington has landed on one short piece of Woods Creek Trail near Lime Kiln Bridge Park. In March a stormwater project closed it. In September a sewer project closed it. Starting in December, the Lime Kiln Road bridge replacement takes part of the park until late 2027. The bridge project changes who gets rerouted. During the first two closures, walkers took the detour. During the bridge work, drivers will. The project is staged so people on foot can keep crossing Woods Creek the whole time.

Three projects, one quarter mile

Here are the three projects and what each notice says:

The table also shows a gap. The City's September notice promised to reopen the Jordan Street segment once the sewer work was done and the area was safe. As of this writing, the City's news list hasn't posted a reopening notice for that segment. The catch basin also had a projected finish date, not a confirmed one. Until the City says otherwise, check the fencing at Lime Kiln Bridge Park before you count on walking straight through.

The detour you may already know by heart

The City has used the same street route both times this year. When the March closure started, The News-Gazette described the route for walkers coming from the north end of the trail:

1. Walk down Lime Kiln Road and turn onto McLaughlin Street.
2. Follow McLaughlin to White Street.
3. Go east on White Street to Highland Road.
4. Turn south on Highland Road.
5. Take Jordan Street toward the south end of the closed section near Overhill Drive.

Walkers heading north take the same route in reverse. In September, the City called the sewer closure "similar to the detour earlier this year" and sent walkers along the same McLaughlin, White, Highland and Jordan sidewalks. If you walked it in the spring, you already know it.

What the catch basin is meant to do

Unlike the bridge, the March project was designed to add something new along the creek. The News-Gazette reported that the 14-acre basin will collect stormwater from the city and filter out phosphorus and nitrogen before the water reaches Woods Creek. The paper also quoted the City's press release on the purpose: "The new BMP acts as a natural filter, slowing down stormwater and allowing sediments and pollutants to settle before water reaches the creek." The City describes the work as protection for the Maury River and part of the broader Chesapeake Bay restoration effort.

Patrick Madigan, director of Lexington's Public Works Department, told the paper the contractor had 150 days to reach "substantial completion," which pointed to late August. None of the sources gathered for this post confirms the basin is finished or running, so how the creek handles stormwater once it is done remains a plan for now.

Why the bridge project treats walkers differently

The bridge replacement runs much longer than the other two, and it's planned the other way around. According to the VDOT project page, Lime Kiln Road will close to vehicles between Catalpa Place and McLaughlin Street, and drivers will follow a detour. The bridge will be built in stages "to allow for uninterrupted pedestrian traffic," with the stated goal of limiting the impact on Lime Kiln Bridge Park, the Chessie Nature Trail and Woods Creek Trail. The City's notice says the same thing more briefly: traffic will be detoured, and pedestrians will still be able to cross Woods Creek.

For drivers, WDBJ reported in January 2025 that the detour would be about a mile and a half. The station didn't list the streets. VDOT's public hearing display shows a proposed detour map, but the exact route should come from VDOT or the City once signs go up.

A few more details from the VDOT page:

• Who's building it. VDOT awarded the construction contract to Hammond-Mitchell, Inc. of Covington in July 2026. The award was $1,597,243, against a construction estimate of $2,407,153. The full project estimate, including engineering and right of way, is $3,424,488.
• How busy the road is. In 2022 this part of Lime Kiln Road carried an average of 2,031 vehicles a day. VDOT projects about 2,900 a day by its 2048 design year. The new bridge is widened on the upstream side but doesn't add vehicle capacity.
• What walkers get. The finished bridge will have a six-foot sidewalk on the south side, the side next to the park.
• When it ends. The City gives November 2027 for the park closure. VDOT lists Fall 2027 for completion.

The six-foot sidewalk on the park side is written into the design, so the project that keeps this stretch busy the longest is also the one designed to keep foot traffic moving the whole way through.

Where the creek trail meets the Chessie

The bridge matters this much because Woods Creek Trail connects to so much else. The Brushy Blue Greenway plan from 2017 traces Woods Creek Trail from Waddell School through Washington and Lee and VMI to Jordan's Point Park. VMI's January 2026 Post Facilities Master Plan says the trail ends at Jordan's Point. That plan also says a 2010 agreement among VMI, the City and Rockbridge County led to sidewalks that link Woods Creek Trail to the Veterans Memorial Bridge and on to the Chessie Nature Trail.

The Chessie follows the old Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad right of way from Lexington to Buena Vista. VMI's Chessie Trail page calls it seven miles, and the master plan measures it at 7.2. VMI lists these rules and conditions:

• A mostly flat gravel and dirt surface, with no facilities along the trail.
• Pedestrians and bicycles are welcome, and dogs must be leashed at all times.
• The trail crosses private land, including active cattle farms.
• Ticks are fairly common in warmer months.

You can get on the trail at the north end of the East Lexington Bridge on U.S. Route 11, near Mill Creek on Old Buena Vista Road, where the South River meets the Maury at Stuartsburg Road, and at the eastern end where Stuartsburg Road meets U.S. Route 60.

Two more things affect a Chessie walk. First, VMI's master plan says trail crossing remains blocked on part of the East Lexington section, and VMI has added an off-street parking area beyond the blocked section. Second, VMI cadets sometimes march on the Chessie. VMI says the trail stays open to the public during marches. During the Fall Field Training Exercises on October 9 through 11, VMI warned of marches and "brief congestions" on the trail, with training at Jordan's Point too.

The master plan also says the Chessie shows wear. It lists washouts and exposed roots to repair, gates and footbridge decks to replace, and a need for better parking and signs. If the Lime Kiln crossing is a mess on a given day, the Chessie is the longer alternative, and it has its own rough spots.

Coffee on the way back

The bridge work doesn't touch the downtown stops many walks end at. Main Street Lexington's 2026 roundup of Best of Virginia winners named Pronto Caffe & Gelateria at 26 S. Main St. in the Coffee Shop or Roaster category. Pronto serves coffee, pastries, gelato and grab-and-go sandwiches, so you can pick up lunch on the way to Jordan's Point. Legendary Eats at 110 W. Washington St. won in the breakfast and brunch and sandwich categories.

For something warm once the weather turns, a March 2026 Main Street Lexington post pointed to hot chocolate at Blue Sky Café, 125 W. Nelson St., and drinking chocolate at Seasons Bakery & Cafe, 116 N. Main St. Seasons lists Monday through Saturday hours.

If you live near Lime Kiln Road and want to know how the bridge closure might affect a future sale or a project at your home, Mary Beth Harris follows these timelines and can help you plan around them. Let me help you find a house and create a home.