New Broad Run VRE parking lot to have 600 spaces, pedestrian tunnel

MANASSAS — The Broad Run Virginia Railway Express station is about to undergo a radical change.

VRE officials this week will be asked to support a plan to build a 600-space commuter parking lot on the north side of the tracks at the commuter rail station located at the Manassas Regional Airport.

This project would see the relocation of the parking lot from the south side of the tracks, and the addition of a new pedestrian tunnel that would allow VRE riders access from the parking lot to the platform.

The cost of the whole project: $25 million to $30 million, and it would be completed in 2022, just in time for new E-ZPass Express Lanes to open on Interstate 66.

Here’s what Prince William County transportation officials are telling Potomac Local:

The proposed funding application for the Broad Run Commuter Lot if funded, will supplement VRE’s current Broad Run Expansion Project. The Broad Run Commuter lot project would be administered by VRE and we are in the process of finalizing the project costs, which is estimated between $25 and $30 Million.

The project would be administered by VRE but Prince William County is submitting the application and providing the required local matching funds.

By moving the station parking lot to the north side of the tracks, VRE will be able to convert the old parking lot into more storage for rail cars and locomotives. Included in this week’s VRE Operations Board meeting agenda is more details about the new parking lot:

The Broad Run Commuter Lot will be adjacent to the VRE Broad Run Station on the Manassas Line and, along with the new parking spaces, will include bicycle and pedestrian access as well as facilities to accommodate bus stops and allow for adequate bus circulation within the lot.

A true multimodal transportation node, the project will allow commuters to bike, walk or drive to the commuter lot and join up with carpools/vanpools, access buses, or board VRE’s commuter rail service. The new commuter lot is located north of the [Norfolk Southern] tracks and will be connected to the VRE station platform via a pedestrian tunnel under the tracks.

The Broad Run Commuter Lot Project complements the current VRE BRX Project, which expands the VRE MSF storage capacity, constructs a third NS main track between the Broad Run complex and Wellington Rd., and modifies the Broad Run Station platform and parking south of the tracks. The BRX Project is part of the larger VRE Manassas Line Capacity Improvements Program that is increasing seating on trains and expanding stations, including the Manassas and Manassas Park.

Existing federal, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, state (REF and I-66 outside the Beltway concession fee), and VRE Capital Reserve funds have been committed to the BRX project. The BUILD grant application will supplement currently committed BRX funding for construction of the commuter parking lot.