Prince William Parkway is now a bit wider, following a final construction project on the road.
The road previously narrowed from three to two lanes when it crossed the north side of Minnieville Road because of a “pork chop” that was in the roadway, according to a release.
“A pork chop is a raised, triangle-shaped island between a right-turn lane and through-travel lane to help channel traffic and create a safe place for pedestrians to cross. This pork chop was located just before the intersection with Minnieville Road and was there before the road was widened. Therefore, it needed to be made smaller in order for there to be traffic flow through all three lanes,” stated a release.
This project will help prevent backups on the road, and hopefully ease congestion.
“This improvement will allow the Prince William Parkway to have three lanes of traffic open through the intersection. That will help us to eliminate the congestion in the intersection and improve safety,” stated Neabsco Supervisor John Jenkins in a release.
More on the project, from a release:
The project at Minnieville Road was part of a larger plan to widen the parkway between Old Bridge Road and Interstate 95, which was a 2006 Road Bond Referendum project. The completion of the six-month project, between Minnieville Road and Sonora Street, finishes up all of the work to be done on the Prince William Parkway, Jenkins said. “The road is now built as envisioned in the comprehensive plan in this area of the county.”
The project also included a right turn lane and acceleration lane for Minnieville Road traffic to safely merge onto the parkway, as well as a new concrete sidewalk that runs along the improved area. Work to complete the sidewalk will continue over the next few weeks and is scheduled to be finished the week of Thanksgiving.
Jenkins said people using the road will notice a difference. “Residents in that area are really excited about the road being improved. I get a lot of compliments about the work that’s being done by the department of transportation in the county.”
Jenkins said the parkway widening project fits in with the Prince William Board of County Supervisors’ vision of improved transportation across the county. “The board continues to be committed to building a multi-modal transportation system that will include roads, transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities.”
More information about transportation projects in the county can be found at www.pwcgov.org/transportation.
