We now have a Widewater State Park

Construction of Widewater State Park is about to get underway, 10 years after Virginia had purchased the land on which the park will sit.

Virginia’s newest state park will sit on Stafford County’s Widewater Peninsula, on the banks of the Potomac River and Aquia Creek.

Virginia’s General Assembly on Friday greenlit an additional $4 million in funding, on top $7.5 million in funding that was used fro the design of the first phase of the park that includes a canoe launch, motorized boat launch modeled after a launch at Leesylvania State Park in Woodbridge, a fishing pier, 1, pit toilets, picnic areas, a playground, and parking lot with 50 parking spaces.

“I’ve been working on this project for a long time, and with this funding we are going to get some shovels turned and much-needed access to the Potomac River,” said Delegate Mark Dudenhefer (R-Prince William, Stafford).

The fishing pier planned for the park in Phase I will be relocated from the Aquia Creek side to the Potomac River side of the park. Dredging of Aquia Creek was required to build the pier, so the move will lead to a cost savings for the project, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The original price tag for the first of three phases of the park was $11.5 million, according to a master plan document dated 2013. In phases two and three, road improvements, more parking, a ranger station, and a park entrance are planned.

The total cost of the park is about $43 million, according to the same document. Contract bids to begin the first work at the park will be issued this summer and fall, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Residents who live on the Widewater Peninsula, in the secluded Widewater Beach area, in 2014 told Potomac Local they were concerned about the additional vehicle traffic the park would generate. Drivers must travel a one-lane Arkendale Road, across railroad tracks used by CSX, Amtrak, and Virginia Railway Express to access the park.

Widewater State Park will join its other nearby State Parks — Leesylvania in Woodbridge and Mason Neck in Fairfax — all nestled along the Potomac River.