LAKE RIDGE, Va. — The intersection of Prince William Parkway and Old Bridge Road is flawed.
“I am surprised that this intersection is still functioning as it is,” said Prince William County Transportation Director Rick Canizales.
This busy junction that carries 45,000 cars a day is where six lanes of Prince William Parkway — a major thoroughfare linking Interstates 95 and 66 — meet at Old Bridge Road, a four-lane thoroughfare that connects drivers to their homes and businesses in Lake Ridge, as well as I-95.
A third street, Touchstone Circle, is also accessed by this intersection. Overhead signal lights control the traffic movement.
For drivers headed west on Prince William Parkway, they must stop at a signal light and queue up in one of three left-turn lanes to continue west on the parkway.
“Tripple [turn lanes] are a last desperate attempt of a [traffic] designer, and that’s what we’ve got here,” added Canizales.
Prince William County was denied state funding when it filed plans to transform this intersection, and the intersections of Prince William Parkway at Smoketown and Minnieville Roads, into grade-separated interchanges.
The improvements would have separated the lanes, improved traffic flow, and removed the center signal lights. The projects, according to state officials, didn’t provide enough bang for the buck.
So, without state funding for roadway improvements, leaders must look to smaller, more inexpensive fixes to try to convince drivers not to use congested Old Bridge Road if they don’t have to.
A new sign that will direct drivers on Prince William Parkway headed east to I-95 will tell them to stay on the parkway, and not use Old Bridge Road. That sign will state “To I-95” will be installed soon.
Rather than erecting a more expensive cantilever sign, this new marker will be mounted into the ground on the right side of the road near the Rollingwood Village office complex.
“When you look at ground mounting and placement for overhead signs, the ground mounted sign is the fastest way to erect a new sign, which is what we’re trying to do here, ” said Virginia Department of Transportation Land Use Director Richard Burke.
The new sign comes at the urging of a think tank established by Occoquan District Supervisor Ruth Anderson, which examined solutions for traffic congestion on Old Bridge Road. The formation of a residents-based transportation solutions group was a campaign promise made when Anderson sought office in 2015.
Also discussed was doubling the number of lanes for a one-lane ramp that carries drivers on Prince William Parkway who want to continue east on the parkway toward I-95 and Potomac Mills mall.
“When Prince William Parkway was opened, it was designed to take traffic off Old Bridge Road, at least that’s what we were told,” said one resident at Monday night’s transportation think tank meeting. “You gotta make it difficult to go down Old Bridge, and this intersection makes it easy.”
The option of expanding the ramp requires funding for land acquisition. The second lane for a wider ramp would need to start near the entrance of the Rollingwood Village center. The new lane would take a portion of that property, and another property on the right side of the road that sits closer to the intersection, said Canizales.
Original plans showed Old Bridge Road being widened from four lanes to six by now, said Canizales. That hasn’t happened because of funding issues.
More commercial development around the intersection, to include a new retirement home, and new fast-food restaurants continue to exacerbate the congestion problem.
