BY SCOTT SHENK
The George Washington Toll Road Authority welcomed three new members at Monday night’s meeting. Those newcomers—three new representatives from the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors—were the ones who all but killed the group’s one project: the Interstate 95 interchange.
During the meeting, the new members explained their stances, saying they simply want to find the best solution for the area’s congested roads.
David Ross, who represents the Courtland District, said a parkway included as part of the project was “the only choice offered, and it was very costly.” And he said it didn’t seem like a good option.
He said some of the new county supervisors were elected because residents were unhappy with the project, but none of them is against transportation.
Fellow Supervisors Timothy McLaughlin and Paul Trampe echoed Ross’ stance.
The proposed $300 million I–95 interchange project was aimed at fixing rush-hour congestion around U.S. 17 in Stafford and State Route 3 in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania.
The project likely would have included a new parkway that would have connected to a new exit at the Virginia Welcome Center. The four- to six-lane parkway would have run through Celebrate Virginia in the city and tapped back into Route 3 in Spotsylvania at Gordon Road.
The connector road, known unofficially as the Rappahannock Parkway, might have carried a toll.
Some Spotsylvania residents would have lost land to make way for the parkway. In January, the Spotsylvania supervisors voted against supporting the parkway portion of the overall project.
That move all but killed the project and more than $14 million appropriated for an environmental study.
The project, however, isn’t officially off the books. The toll road authority has to vote to abandon the project before state officials would be able to officially remove the project, said Quintin Elliott, VDOT Fredericksburg District administrator.
The authority plans to vote on the matter at next month’s meeting. If the authority votes to remove the project, it will also have to consider its own future since it would no longer have a project to work on.
Cord Sterling, a member of the Stafford Board of Supervisors and Commonwealth Transportation Board, has said some portions of the interchange plan could still happen.
Several other potential options to fix the congestion problems were floated during Monday’s meeting, including the infamous Outer Connector.
In 2001, state officials backed a route for that project, which would have started at I–95 and Mountain View Road in Stafford, stretched across U.S. 17 and the Rappahannock River and ended at Route 3.
Because of residents’ concerns about impact to the river and battlefields, in 2003 the Spotsylvania supervisors removed the idea from its long-range plan.
Fredericksburg officials sided with Spotsylvania, and the project was dropped.
Stafford officials, including Supervisor Gary Snellings, who also is a member of the toll road authority, welcome renewed interest in portions of the Outer Connector.
Scott Shenk: 540/374-5436
sshenk@freelancestar.com
