Pocahontas Parkway

Pocahontas Parkway (also known as Virginia State Highway 895) is a toll road near Richmond, Virginia. It connects Interstate 95 and Virginia State Highway 150 in Chesterfield County with Interstate 295 near Richmond International Airport in Henrico County.

Richmond is located on the fall line of the James River. The 8.8-mile roadway features a costly high-level bridge over the shipping channel of the navigable portion of the tidal James River downstream from the deepwater Port of Richmond. Two persons were killed in accidents during the construction.

The highway was built without the use of toll revenue bonds through an innovative public-private partnership. The toll collection facility features the Richmond area's only high-speed open lanes, allowing vehicles to travel through the toll facility at highway speeds with a Smart Tag or other compatible electronic toll collection transponder.

The road was originally planned as Interstate 895. However, sufficient state and federal construction funds were not available in competition with other road projects in the area. In 1995, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Public-Private Transportation Act allowing private entities to propose innovative solutions for designing, constructing, financing and operating transportation improvements.

An acceptable proposal was submitted and an agreement was reached. However, due to limitations resultant from the method of financing, the new roadway was designated as a State Highway using the same number. When the legal ownership is ceded to the Commonwealth of Virginia upon conclusion of the private funding arrangement, the roadway will be eligible for Interstate designation.