Officials will be taking a closer look at Route 28 in the coming months.
According to a release, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) has funded a Route 28 Corridor Study, for the stretch that runs through the City of Manassas and Prince William County.
“The goals for the study are to identify infrastructure projects that will improve travel times and network reliability within the Route 28 Corridor through Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park,” stated a release.
A meeting about the study will be held on September 7 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Manassas Park Community Center at 99 Adams Street.
Another meeting will be held on September 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Centreville at 14330 Green Trails Boulevard. Both meetings are open to the public.
“A short presentation providing a project overview will begin at 7 p.m. at each venue. The public is invited to attend the meetings, which provides an opportunity to see what has been accomplished with the study and what might happen in the future,” stated a release.
More about NVTA’s study, from a release:
The county’s Department of Transportation will request an initiation for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Sept. 5, with the recommendation that the Board remove the Tri-County Parkway and add Option 2B, which would extend Godwin Drive to connect with Route 28 north of Bull Run. Option 2B, ranked highest through the evaluation process of the study, would replace the Tri-County Parkway, said Elizabeth Scullin, the county’s Division Chief for Transportation Programming and Planning.
The county must amend its Comprehensive Plan to include the highest ranked option in order for the NVTA to consider funding for the future project, Scullin said.
The NVTA ultimately designates which road projects to approve and fund through its Six-Year Plan. Jurisdictions select the priority projects to submit to the NVTA for funding. The NVTA then decides which projects to fund.
“It’s regional funding,” Scullin said. “So, the NVTA will select which projects will provide the most congestion relief for the region.” If NVTA cannot fund the project in its entirety, the county will seek additional state and federal funds to complete the project.
Scullin said any of the new road options would ease traffic along Interstate 66 and other roads, but Option 2B seems to be the best choice with the least impact, as it would take a significant amount of traffic off I-66 and Route 28, as well as other surrounding neighborhood roads.
The NVTA was created by the Virginia General Assembly as a regional body to develop regional transportation plans and to address transportation issues in Northern Virginia. The NVTA manages public funds for transportation projects designed to reduce congestion throughout the region and is funded by the Northern Virginia Regional Sales Tax, the Grantor’s Tax and the Transient Occupancy Tax. Proceeds from those taxes are mandated to be used for transportation in Northern Virginia, and provide the revenue stream for the NVTA.
Information about the study can be found at www.Route28study.com.
