Richmond and the counties around it
The list runs from Ashland and Mechanicsville in Hanover, through Henrico and the city, south through Chesterfield to the Tri-Cities and west to Powhatan. Crossing a city or county line changes which office issues the road permit.
Whoever takes the job already runs I-95, I-64, I-295 and Route 288, so drive time in the quote is based on trips they make every week.
Billing usually starts when the crane leaves the yard. A pick in Powhatan or Petersburg can add an hour to the bill compared with the same pick in the Museum District.
How far each place sits
- Richmond - Capitol Square. Work in Streets permit for a crane in a street or alley; Urban Forestry permits for city trees
- Chesterfield - 12 miles S. County seat area; roads are VDOT, covered on the Chesterfield page
- Midlothian - 12 miles W. Western Chesterfield along Route 60 and Route 288, covered on the Chesterfield page
- Chester - 13 miles S. Southern Chesterfield between I-95 and Route 10
- Bon Air - 7 miles W. Older neighborhoods and tall oaks just past the city line
- Glen Allen - 10 miles NW. Henrico office parks and homes along I-295 and Route 1
- Short Pump - 12 miles NW. Western Henrico retail and new homes off I-64
- Tuckahoe - 8 miles NW. Henrico neighborhoods west of the city with big yard trees
- Highland Springs - 6 miles E. Eastern Henrico, closer to the airport
- Sandston - 7 miles E. Next to Richmond International; tall booms can need FAA notice
- Mechanicsville - 6 miles NE. Hanover County east of I-295 on Route 360
- Ashland - 15 miles N. Town in Hanover on I-95 and the rail line
- Colonial Heights - 19 miles S. Independent city south on I-95 across the Appomattox
- Petersburg - 22 miles S. Independent city at the south edge of the list
- Hopewell - 18 miles SE. Independent city on the James with industrial sites
- Powhatan - 27 miles W. Rural county west on Route 60, the longest drive here
Place missing from the list?
Varina, Lakeside, Montrose, Ettrick, Prince George and Goochland are in range as well. Type the town or the closest intersection into the form.
City, Henrico or VDOT: whose road is it
Inside Richmond, Public Works issues the Work in Streets permit. Henrico is one of two Virginia counties that maintain their own local roads, so most Henrico streets go through Henrico Public Works, while VDOT keeps the interstates and primary routes (Henrico road maintenance). In Chesterfield, Hanover and Powhatan the roads are VDOT, and permits go through its online land use permit system (VDOT land use permits).
Without a permit, a vehicle in Virginia can be no wider than 102 inches and no taller than 13 feet 6 inches (Va. Code 46.2-1105, 46.2-1110), which puts most big cranes and their counterweight trucks on oversize permits.
Busy seasons in Richmond
Summer thunderstorms and the fall hurricane remnants bring the tree calls. Spring and fall are the busy seasons for HVAC swaps, before the heat and before the cold.