Prince William reverses course, opts for Godwin Drive extension

Plans for a four-lane bypass, an extension of Godwin Drive, were restored at Tuesday’s Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting.

Supervisors voted along party lines 5-3 to overturn a unanimous vote the Board made a month ago and chose to proceed with designing a four-lane extension of Godwin Drive from Novant/UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas to the intersection of Route 28 and Compton Road in Fairfax County.

Republicans cast the dissenting votes. A total of 54 homes would be demolished if the design is approved and the extension is built.

Previously, supervisors voted unanimously to abandon plans for a Godwin Drive extension in favor of adding two new lanes to Route 28 between Liberia Avenue in Manassas and the Fairfax County line.

The mayors of Manassas and Manassas Park say they support the plan to build the extension, which is expected to cost $300 million. But while the Manassa mayor supports the extension, members of his city council do not.

Once the design of the Godwin Drive extension is complete, it will be submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers, which will review it and will ultimately approve the project because the road would be built in a wetland area, as well as along a flood plain along the Flat Branch stream.

That decision from the Army Corps of Engineers should come in eight to 12 months, according to Prince William County Transportation Director Rick Canizales.

Brentsville District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson accused her Democratic colleagues of caving to developers who would would like to build more homes in the western portion of the county.

“The five ‘environmentalists’ that sit up here voted to open the door to more development,” said Lawson, referring to Democrats on the Board of County Supervisors.

Chair At-large Ann Wheeler pushed the Board to reconsider the vote and, in addition, not only voiced her support for the Godwin Drive extension but also for a larger bi-county parkway that would link Interstate 95 in Dumfries to Dulles Airport in Loudoun County. As of right now, there are no plans to build the road.

“I always wanted the bi-county parkway because it gave businesses access to the  [Manassas Regional] Airport,” said Wheeler. “We are desperately trying to attract business to the Route 234 corridor… I wish I really stuck my ground [on August 4 when the Board of County Supervisors voted unanimously to widen Route 28]… this [reconsideration] is not because some developers came to to me, this is what I believe.”

The Prince William Chamber of Commerce has long lobbied for the Godwin Drive extension.

“We are extremely pleased with the Board of County Supervisors’ decision to name the Godwin Extension as the preferred route. Infrastructure is one of the keys to a strong economy, and ensuring that our citizens and businesses can have an effortless commute is vital to that,” said Prince William Chamber Board of Directors Chair Katherine Johnson. “Over the past several years, we have seen significant investments that address our region’s transportation needs, and this project is a critical piece in completing the puzzle.”

Threats to pull funding

Multiple residents who had hoped to speak about the roadway extension could not do so before Wheeler called for a vote on the measure.

Prior to the vote, however, leaders heard from Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair At-large Phyllis Randall, who also serves as the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Chair. Randall threatened to pull the $89 million allocated for the design of the Godwin Drive extension.

“I’m not going to allow this [funding] to be unappropriated for months and months,” said Randall. “I will put forth a motion to disappropriate the project altogether.”

Phyllis sets the agenda for the transportation authority, which will meet Thursday. Randall assured the Prince William Board that, as the top elected official in Loudoun County, she would attempt to have some of the $89 million reallocated for projects in her county should Prince William leaders not accept it.

In July, Prince William transportation director Rick Canizales informed the Board of County Supervisors that the $89 million was not in jeopardy of losing the funding should it decide not to build the bypass. That led supervisors to believe they could use the funding instead to add two new lanes to the existing Route 28.

Fewer cars expected 

Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega is opposed to the Godwin Drive Extension.  Her constituents would be the ones to lose their homes if the extension is built.

She cited a study commissioned by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority released in July that anticipates fewer people will be traveling in the region by car between now and 2025 due to largely to new teleworking policies implemented during the coronavirus pandemic.

Monica Blackmon, the director of the transportation authority, responded, noting that traffic patterns continue to change as more businesses reopen.

Residents disappointed

After the vote, Wheeler allowed residents to speak on the matter. Many asked why they changed their vote, and expressed concern for the residents who would lose thier homes — many of which are minorities who live in a trailer park.

“It is terrible to put these people through this. It’s inhumane,” said one resident.

“Chairman Wheeler: Another month, another circus,” said Haymarket resident Bob Weir, who serves on the Haymarket Town Council. “This board promised to be different [than the previous Prince William Board of County Supervisors]. “This is the same as the last board, regardless of the political makeup.”

Multiple residents said last month’s unanimous vote appeared to be an indication that this Board of County Supervisors, which, since January, has shown an inability to work together on key issues, could be putting aside partisan politics.

They were disappointed in today’s reversal, they added.