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City launches Hull Street Rehabilitation Project to begin in March

Posted February 17, 2026

~ Portions of Hull Street to fully close during the six-phase roadway project ~

Richmond, VA – The Department of Public Works (DPW) will begin reconstruction on Hull Street between Cowardin Avenue and Belt Boulevard next month. The project will provide comprehensive rehabilitation and resurfacing improvements of one of the oldest sections of Hull Street, delivering safer access to businesses and neighborhoods. A smoother Hull Street will be the end result of this work. Over the coming weeks, crews will level and rebuild entire sections of the street to correct inconsistent pavement heights that have developed over time affecting drainage and traffic on this aging infrastructure on the Southside.

“As one of the city’s key corridors, Hull Street plays an important role in connecting residents, neighborhoods, and businesses,” said Mayor Danny Avula. “By improving this corridor, we are improving safety, enhancing quality of life, and strengthening economic opportunity for everyone who travels this roadway. It also advances our Vision Zero commitment by prioritizing a safer design and striving to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries as we build a stronger, more connected community.”

Weather permitting, work will begin March 16 and will be completed in approximately three to four months. Construction is divided into six coordinated phases/sections with each section building upon the previous phase until the project is complete.

Phase 1: Cowardin Avenue to W 21st Street

Phase 2: W 21st Street to Clopton Street

Phase 3: Clopton Street to Tynick Street

Phase 4: Tynick Street to E Broad Rock Boulevard

Phase 5: E Broad Rock Boulevard to E 34th Street

Phase 6: E 34th Street to Belt Boulevard

During reconstruction, each section will be fully closed to traffic to protect the safety of our construction crews and drivers. The phased approach allows crews to work efficiently while minimizing prolonged disruption to the entire corridor. It also allows each section to re-open after work is completed.

Advance notice will be provided before each closure, and clearly marked detour routes will direct motorists around the work zones.

What to Expect

Timeline: Work begins March 16, 2026, weather permitting, and is expected to be completed by June 15, 2026

Reconstruction will occur in six consecutive phases/sections, starting with Phase I, and work along each section will take two or three weeks

During the closures, access to businesses will be through side streets

Detour routes and updates will be posted in advance and clearly posted

Message boards will be in place to notify the public on the following streets: Cowardin Avenue, Belt Boulevard, Turner Road

The project will:

Reconstruct long-standing elevation inconsistencies by milling existing street to lower elevation, leveling, and reconstructing Hull Street sections

Reconfigure Hull Street from Clopton Street to the new James River Branch Trail based upon a 2020 roadway safety assessment to reduce speeding and enhance safety for people using the street

Provide safer crossings for people of all ages and abilities

Provide on-street parking

Reconfigure the street to provide dedicated left-turn lanes from Clopton Street to the James River Branch Trail

Adjust curb cuts and ADA ramps to match street grades, sidewalks, driveway entrances, and utility constraints

Improve drainage and reduce maintenance costs

Resurface the street and improve the markings

Improve corridor appearance and support local economic development

Stay Informed

Updated schedules, detours, and other information will be posted on rva.gov/public-works/HullStreet

For more information on DPW, please visit us online at rva.gov/public-works or email us at AskPublicWorks@rva.gov

We’re Social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on X @DPW_RichmondVA

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The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 225 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk, and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting; graffiti removal; urban forestry; civil engineering and capital improvement projects along with the Department of Transportation (DOT). DPW delivers essential services that keep the city clean, safe, and healthy. The DOT plans, builds and maintains the city’s transportation system to ensure safe, reliable, and equitable mobility for all users. The department is responsible for traffic operations, street signs, traffic signals, pavement markings, bike lanes, and transportation programs that support economic vitality, environmental sustainability, and quality of life. Guided by the city’s Vision Zero commitment, the DOT works to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries through data-driven policies, street design, and community partnerships. In addition, the DOT issues permits for working in the city’s right-of-way; manages Main Street Station and the RVA Bike Share Program. Operating budgets for both departments come from the general fund of the City of Richmond. For more information about services, click here or call 3-1-1

Mayor Danny Avula Statement on the closing of the Richmond Free Press

It is a sad day in Richmond, as one of our core institutions, the Richmond Free Press, is closing its doors. For more than three decades, this Black-owned newspaper has been a beacon. In a city with a history as complex and painful as ours, the Free Press did more than report the news. It reinvigorated the Black press, asked hard questions of the city’s leaders, and amplified voices often pushed to the margins.

Black-owned media plays a vital role in strengthening democracy and community trust. At the height of segregation, publications such as John Mitchell Jr.’s Richmond Planet made sure Richmond’s whole story was told. The Free Press carried on that important legacy. It made sure the fullness of Richmond’s story was part of the public record--not just the comfortable chapters. And in the former capital of the Confederacy, this was no small feat.

Through its award-winning journalism – recognized by the Virginia Press Association, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, the National Newspaper Publishers Association, and others – the Free Press preserved history, while pushing us towards a brighter, more just, more equal future.

Many of the advancements we have seen in and around Richmond – in public awareness, in civic consciousness, in conversations about race and equality - did not happen in isolation. They happened because institutions like the Free Press did the steady, disciplined work of publishing stories that others might overlook, documenting injustice, and elevating community voices.

I am deeply grateful to the founders -- the devoted and trailblazing Boone family -- the editors, reporters, photographers, and staff, who poured their talent and heart into this work. You helped move our city forward. The closing of your doors should inspire us all to remain active and involved neighbors in our communities.

Thank you for the impact you have had on our city. You will be missed.

Joint Effort to Address Affordable Housing Crisis: Councilmember Robertson and Mayor Avula Support New Affordable Housing Trust Fund Ordinance

Proposed Ordinance was Introduced at February 9, 2026 Richmond City Council Meeting

On February 9, Councilmember Ellen Robertson, Richmond Gateway 6th District, and Mayor Danny Avula announced their joint support for a new proposed Richmond Affordable Housing Trust Fund (RAHTF) Ordinance, which was introduced at the 2/9 Richmond City Council Formal Meeting.

Both Councilmember Robertson and Mayor Avula agree that with high housing costs and the current affordable housing crisis throughout the city this action is greatly needed.

This people-centered policy will make a real difference and help move Richmond forward in providing affordable housing opportunities for all.

The Affordable Housing Trust Fund will help thousands of residents by creating and preserving housing that working families, seniors, and long-time Richmonders can afford.

The proposed ordinance establishes a dedicated, fiscally responsible and predictable source of funding for the construction and preservation of affordable housing across Richmond. It strengthens accountability and transparency to ensure that funding allocated for affordable housing supports the goal of ending the city’s housing crisis.

“The proposed ordinance reflects great collaboration among Richmond City Council members, housing advocates, and community partners, and represents a significant progress towards building thriving neighborhoods that meet the needs of a growing city,” says Mayor Danny Avula.

The Proposed ordinance will deliver affordable housing for Richmond residents and reflects a clear commitment to strengthen how the City funds, manages, and delivers these efforts. The proposed ordinance includes:

Establishing a simple funding methodology to ensure predictable, reliable investment in affordable housing
Clarifying requirements for Trust Fund revenues to be calculated and applied consistently
Creating clear reporting and oversight to strengthen transparency and accountability
Aligning policy and implementation to support housing production and preservation

Mayor Avula Appoints Richmond's First Transformation Manager to Drive Modernization Efforts

Shannon Paul to Lead Implementation of the Mayoral Action Plan, Advancing Efficiency, Responsiveness, and Performance Across City Departments

Richmond, VA— Mayor Danny Avula today announced a significant step towards shaping Richmond city government into a model 21st-century public sector organization in naming the City’s first-ever Transformation Manager. The Transformation Manager is charged with driving the implementation of the Mayoral Action Plan and using it as a framework to identify ongoing challenges to improve customer service, efficiency, and performance across city government.

Implementation of the MAP will be led by the City’s first Transformation Manager, Ms. Shannon Paul, appointed following a competitive search. Ms. Paul currently serves as Deputy Director of Financial and Administrative Services for the Department of Justice Services (DJS). In that role, she spent 11 months on part-time assignment to the Mayor’s Office to lead and support the development and initial implementation of the Mayoral Action Plan. In addition to her role with DJS, Ms. Paul, a Howard University graduate, has served in a variety of strategic and management roles in the City of Richmond since 2000, including in the Office of Budget & Strategic Planning.

“Shannon Paul is the right person at the right time at this critical juncture for Richmond,” said Mayor Danny Avula. "She understands the organization's strengths and weaknesses from both strategic and operational perspectives, and she knows that effective city government can not only deliver services-- it can also change lives. Shannon played a crucial role in developing the Mayoral Action Plan and will now help ensure that a great plan translates into impactful action."

Ms. Paul will lead these efforts in concert with contracted strategic support and internal staff, with specific service area expertise ranging from data, process improvement, and organizational problem-solving deployed to address issues as they are identified. The Transformation Manager will coordinate with executive leaders including Deputy Chief Administrative Officers and department Directors to report findings, issue recommendations, and provide progress reports on a regular basis to the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer.

“Establishing the Transformation Manager is a clear step toward making Mayor Avula's vision of a well-functioning government a reality,” said Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II . “Ms. Paul’s unique skillset, including Green Belt in Six Sigma process improvement methodology, coupled with a more than twenty-year track record of identifying issues and resolving them across the City, positions her to help lead the administration's march toward developing a world class municipal government.”

The Transformation Manager will work across all city agencies, and report to the Chief Administrative Officer.

“As a devoted city resident, Richmond Public Schools graduate, and someone who has spent her career in service to the city, I’m excited about this opportunity to help move the city forward and see it thrive,” said Shannon Paul. “Mayor Avula and his team came into office not only with inspiring goals but with a detailed vision and plan for achieving them. If we approach the Mayoral Action Plan with commitment, focus, and resolve, there’s no stopping Richmond, as an organization and a community. I’m honored to lead the Mayor’s transformation efforts and I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”

Key functions of the Transformation Manager will include:

Overseeing the new performance management system tied to the MAP which the City has established to collect, assess, and utilize high-quality data tied to specific MAP goals
Using this data and other information to critically assess the City’s progress towards MAP goals, and make recommendations to the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer
Undertaking deep-dive problem-solving within departments to identify and implement significant process improvements in problem areas.

Ms. Paul’s first day will be March 9, 2026.

City of Richmond Launches Pilot Zero Cost Rewards Program to Support Local Businesses

Bonus rewards available during Love Shopping Local Week, February 11–18

Richmond, VA — The City of Richmond Department of Economic Development is proud to introduce RVA Open Rewards, a customer rewards program designed to drive traffic to neighborhood businesses, strengthen the local economy, and reward residents for shopping local.

The pilot program, hosted on the Bludot Open Rewards app, allows shoppers to earn rewards on every purchase at participating Richmond businesses, automatically and at no cost to consumers or business owners.

The RVA Open Rewards pilot is launching with businesses located across Brookland Park, Carytown, Downtown (including historic Monroe and Jackson Ward, City Center, and Arts District), Manchester, and Shockoe. The program makes it easy to support local businesses while keeping more dollars in Richmond’s neighborhoods.

“Richmond’s small businesses are the backbone of our local economy,” said Mayor Danny Avula . “RVA Open Rewards gives residents a simple, meaningful way to invest in the places that make Richmond unique.”

Participation in RVA Open Rewards is easy. Simply:

Download the Open Rewards App and create an account
Shop as you normally would
Upload your receipts (or link a card)
Earn and redeem your rewards!

There is no cost to consumers or businesses for participation. Richmond businesses in pilot corridors across retail, dining, and personal services are included, and additional businesses in these corridors are able to request participation via this interest form .

“This initiative is about intentional economic development that supports our small businesses and strengthens our neighborhoods,” said project lead Allison Beatty, Economic Development, Commercial Corridor Policy & Engagement . "And with the inaugural Love Shopping Local Week, we’re doing just that: inviting our residents and visitors to enjoy Richmond's many incredible businesses.”

Residents can learn more about the program by visiting RichmondEDA.com or by downloading the BluDot: Open Rewards app .

Love Shopping Local Week

To celebrate the launch of RVA Open Rewards, the City will host the inaugural Love Shopping Local Week from February 11–18 , encouraging residents to show extra love to Richmond’s neighborhood businesses.

During this special promotion, RVA Open Rewards will offer an additional 1% cash back, increasing the standard reward from 5% to 6% at participating businesses, for a limited time.