Stafford leaders approve new working group to study county roads

STAFFORD — Stafford leaders want to take another comprehensive look at county roadways with the formation of a new working group.

The task force will examine congested areas and unsafe corridors in the county that are in need of improvement and will be made up of members of the Board of County Supervisors who will also appoint members to the group.

The task force and subsequent study come as the county’s population continue to rise and roads become ever more clogged with vehicles.

The last study of this kind was performed by the Youth Driver Taskforce which formed 14 years ago and recommended a series of road improvements which called for small widening projects on multiple two-lane roads in the county, like widening the lanes and adding shoulders on Mountain View Road.

The projects, which also included improvements on Brooke, Truslow, and Poplar roads were funded with a $70 million bond approved by voters in 2008.

Construction is about to begin on Brooke Road, and the final improvements to Poplar Road will begin this summer, according to county spokeswoman Shannon Howell.

All other work funded by the bond has been completed.

Officials said they already have recent data from 2,000 intersections in the county, as well as crash data from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the sheriff’s office that can be incorporated into the new study.

The study also comes as county officials on March 20 voted to spend $8 million to add new street and signal light in the area of Route 1 and Telegraph Road in North Stafford.

The new intersection that will be created will provide better access for drivers traveling to and from Widewater Elementary and Shirley Heim Middle schools.