Today I was driving east on Midlothian Turnpike going to a meeting at GRTC headquarters on Belt Blvd. in the city's southside. Living in the Midlothian area I drove straight east. I have always cringed at putting my car through the rough roads on Midlothian Turnpike east of Chippenham as well as observing the seediness of the area. Today was a very different experience.

Upon crossing under the Chippenham overpass to go into the city limits I was shocked (and pleased) with what I saw. I was greeted with a very smooth ride on recently finished pavement. The road was spacious and it was clean. The shops and stores are the same but they seemed to have a new life with the cleanliness of the area. The medians had recently been finished, which make it look all the more pleasing.

I must take this opportunity to recognize and thank the city of Richmond VA for beginning to re-invest in an area of blight. Re-building the area where Cloverleaf Mall once stood along with the great work on fixing Midlothian Turnpike, this area is being resurrected as something that has a great future.

Even though this is an area I used to avoid, I am eager to visit the new store at the old Cloverleaf Mall and use Midlothian Turnpike east of Chippenham as an acceptable travel route.