Prince William County Supervisors and stakeholder cut ribbon for upcoming opening of Route 28 widening on Nokesville Road in Bristow and Nokesville.By Prince William Count Government
Prince William County officials, staff and contractors recently attended a ribbon cutting to mark the upcoming completion of the Route 28 Phase II Road Widening project.
The project widens the road to four lanes, divided, for 2.2 miles between the realigned Vint Hill Road and Fitzwater Drive. It also includes a sidewalk and trail along the length of the road. Other major features of the project include storm drainage improvements, new bridges over Kettle Run, major culvert construction, stormwater management facilities, retaining walls and a traffic signal reconstruction at Fitzwater Drive.
Brentsville District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson thanked everyone who worked on the project and noted that the multi-use trail running along the length of the project added to the connectivity for residents, as well as commuters. "…I have noticed that are already using this trail to exercise and just enjoy the outdoors… Once this Route 28 project is all done, I think there's going to be just great improvement in the quality of life for our residents, and certainly for our commuters. "
Phase II of the Route 28 project was funded mostly through the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, or NVTA. The county's Department of Transportation was responsible for administering the project including design, rights-of-way acquisitions, utility installations and construction.
According to NVTA Chairman Marty Nohe, who is also the Coles District Supervisor, the completion of this project will save commuters time when added to other improvements along the Va. 28 Corridor. "This will alleviate traffic for residents of Prince William County, as well as residents of Manassas and Manassas Park. It will increase capacity of some crucial arteries throughout the area by making it easier to use some of the other improvements that we've made," Nohe said.
Nohe said he gets to cut a lot of ribbons as chair of the NVTA, but this one held some significance. "This one is a little special to me because it is right here in Prince William County. While it's not in the district I represent, it's going to serve a lot of people that I serve in the Coles District, as well as serving people in the entire mid-county and the rest of the Prince William County area."
Photo of the Route 28 Bristow road-widening project.Nohe said that by 2040, improvements along the Va. 28 corridor will save five million-person hours, or the hours a person spends commuting, along the road that currently carries 15,000 vehicles per day.
Chairman Corey Stewart talked about the commitment of the Board of County Supervisors to improving transportation in the area said the county needs to continue to build roads that will serve the growing community. "It really has been a hallmark for the Board of County Supervisors in the last 20 years or so to focus the county's resources on constructing new roadways to make it easier and faster for our citizens to commute to and from work…. In a few short years, Prince William County will reach a half-million residents. Add that together with the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, it'll be right around 575,000 people. That growth means that we need to continue … to focus on building that road infrastructure to make sure that our citizens are served not just now, but in the future."
To continue with other improvements along the corridor, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors recently voted to award a $225,586-contract to Pavilion Bristow LLC to install a traffic signal and make other improvements at Va. 28 and Hornbaker Road. The signal installation is part of the Route 28 Phase III Widening project to expand Va. 28 from four to six lanes between Linton Hall Road and Pennsylvania Avenue.
More information about transportation and mobility projects in the county can be found at pwcgov.org/transportation.
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