Most OmniRide passengers headed to Washington D.C. must use the Metro to complete their trips this week.

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This week, OmniRide buses from Prince William and Stafford counties and Manassas will serve the Pentagon only.

Once there, riders may transfer to Metro to continue to their destinations. The change is temporary, lasts only through Wednesday, and comes during Thanksgiving week.

OmniRide Express buses won’t operate Thursday or Friday, Nov. 24 and 25, 2022.

OmniRide Local buses won’t operate Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. Regular service will resume the next day.

More from OmniRide:

Monday, November 21 to Wednesday, November 23 OmniRide Express routes that serve D.C. buses will only operate to and from the Pentagon.

In the AM, buses will pick up riders according to published schedules but all routes that would normally serve D.C. instead will terminate at the Pentagon.

In the PM, OmniRide Express trips that would originate in D.C. will instead start at the Pentagon. Trips will start at the Pentagon at the same time they are scheduled to start from their last DC timepoint. The last trips will leave the Pentagon at 7:30pm.

These routes will be affected:

• Dale City – Washington (D-100)
• Dale City – Navy Yard (D-300)
• Lake Ridge – Washington (L-100)
• Montclair (MC)
• South Route 1 (RS)
• Manassas (601)
• Gainesville – Washington (611)
• Gainesville – Navy Yard (612)
• Stafford – Washington (543)

(The Pentagon can be accessed through the Metro’s Blue line. Once at the Pentagon, follow signage to the bus bays.)

Rosslyn/Ballston, Mark Center, Crystal City, and Tysons Express routes will run according to published schedules.

Riders will pay regular fares.

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, OmniRide Express buses will not operate on Thursday and Friday.

Two developers will breathe new life into Woodbridge with a new development containing nearly 1,000 new homes and retail shops.

The mixed-use Riverside Station will sit on 19 acres on Route 1, across from the Woodbridge VRE station. When complete, a series of condo buildings, street-level shops, a small park, and landscaped areas will replace Station Plaza, home to B-Thrifty and Astoria Pizza, and the old Cowles Ford dealership, which has sat empty for 30 years.

IDI, the developer that constructed Rivergate Apartments less than a mile away on the Occoquan River, partnered with Boosalis Properties, owner of Station Plaza, to build the new development. In phases, as many as 970 homes and 130,000-square-feet retail space will be built on the site.

Boosalis worked with many of the merchants at Station Plaza to help them relocate into the new development when it’s complete, said Sherman Patrick of Compton and Duling, P.C. represented the developers,

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors unanimously approved a land rezoning, clearing the way for the project on September 13, 2022. The project fits within a small area plan approved in 2019, guiding new urban development for the area in the county’s eastern portion.

“Woodbridge is one of the oldest areas in the county, and revitalization is the only thing you can do here,” said Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin, who pushed for the development.

Riverside Station will be a transit-friendly development near VRE, Amtrak, OmniRide buses, and 1 mile from Interstate 95.

The developers plan to build a $4 million pedestrian bridge over Route 1 to connect the neighborhood with the train station. The bridge will cross Route 1, somewhere between Occoquan Road and Route 123. The Virginia Department of Transportation aims to build a new flyover at Routes 1 and 123, and the design of that project is holding up the location of the pedestrian bridge.

“People will gain the benefit of being able to cross Route 1 safely,” Patrick told the Board of County Supervisors.

VDOT abandoned older plans for a flyover on Route 1 and 123, which required exit ramps at Routes 1 and 123. The right-of-way the state purchased for the ramps will now be developed into a small park.

Developers will reserve 78 homes for affordable housing, said Patrick. A new elementary school will be built just south of the latest development on Route 1, next to Fred Lynn Middle School to help alleviate crowding at Belmont Elementary and other schools in the area.

Developers have been talking about revitalizing this plot of land since the late 1980s when Cowles Ford moved to an abandoned Hechinger’s store on Minneville Road near Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge.

More than 10 years ago, former Woodbridge District Supervisor Frank Principi held a design charrette, inviting residents to provide input on how to revitalize this area of Woodbridge. Information from those meetings was used to develop the small area plan.

Developers plan to adhere to the guidelines and develop Horner Road, which runs parallel to Route 1, as the community’s central boulevard. Eventually, Horner Road will stretch to the Occoquan River after crews demolish the Gordon Plaza shopping center on Route 123.

“I attended the charette, and it’s great to see, in all of that time, giving your educated opinion about development, and then seeing it come to fruition,” said Lydia Silverstrand, a Woodbridge Potomac Communities Civic Association member.

The Riverside Station development follows the rezoning for Jefferson Square, just south of Riverside Station on Route 1, where developers will build 240 new apartments. The new homes will replace a dilapidated shopping center that dates back more than 60 years.

The OmniRide Commissioners will be asked to approve a series of sweeping service changes to commuter and local bus routes beginning in December. The changes include a bus to Reston, a first for OmniRide.

The proposed changes come as the Interstate 66 E-ZPass Express Lanes open to traffic. In addition, changes are also being proposed to restructure some eastern commuter routes to operate into Woodbridge and Dale City areas that currently do not have direct transit service or to streamline operations for more efficient commuter service.

OmniRide Commissioners meet Thursday, October 6 at 7 p.m., at OmniRide headquarters, 14700 Potomac Mills Road in Woodbridge, and will be asked to vote on the changes. The meeting is open to the public.

OmniRide frequently implemented changes to its bus services in December in its fall service change.

Here’s a breakdown of the changes.

Route 608 Manassas to Reston: New service is proposed to operate weekday peak direction commuter service between the Balls Ford Road commuter lot and the Reston area, including the Silver Line Innovation Station, multiple employment sites, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This route would also interface with numerous Fairfax Connector routes to travel into other areas of Fairfax County. This route was identified in the Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s (DRPT) Outside the Beltway Transit Plan.

Metro Express Route 61: Service is proposed to be restructured to operate as a commuter shuttle to connect the University, Limestone, and Cushing commuter lots, along with existing bus stops along Linton Hall Road and Devlin Road then stopping at the new Balls Ford Road commuter lot.

Route 601 Manassas to Washington DC Express: This route is proposed to be eliminated. Instead, Route 611 is proposed to absorb this route and would operate from the Balls Ford Road commuter lot, utilizing the direct access ramp to the new I-66 express lanes,

Route 602 Manassas to Pentagon: Route is proposed to no longer operate from Portsmouth commuter lot. Instead, service would operate between the Balls Ford Road commuter lot and the Pentagon using the I-66 express lanes. Additional trips are proposed to be added to the schedule utilizing time savings from the new express lanes.

Route 611 Gainesville-Washington: Route is proposed to absorb Route 601 trips and serve both the Cushing Road and Balls Ford Road commuter lots as the last stops to take advantage of the new I-66 express lanes.

Route 612 Gainesville-Pentagon-Navy Yard: Modified routing is proposed to utilize a new direct access ramp from University Blvd. to the new I-66 express lanes.

Route 622 Haymarket to Rosslyn-Ballston: Routing is proposed to be modified by serving the University Blvd. commuter lot to access the direct ramp to the I-66 express lanes. Other proposed modifications include starting the morning routing at the Heathcote Commuter Lot rather than starting westbound on Heathcote Blvd. at Heritage Hunt Dr. The evening route will serve westbound stops along Heathcote Blvd. between the University Blvd. commuter lot and the Heathcote commuter lot.

Dale City-State Department: Routing is proposed to be restructured in the mornings to operate westbound on Dale Boulevard, serving stops between Birchdale Drive and the Dale City commuter lot, then would operate along Minnieville Road and Caton Hill Road to serve the Telegraph and Horner Road commuter lots. In the evening, the opposite would occur. Service to the OmniRide Transit Center and Potomac Mills Mall commuter lot would no longer be served by this route, but will continue to be served by the Dale City-Pentagon-Navy Yard commuter route.

Dale City-Pentagon-Rosslyn: The route is proposed to be modified in the mornings to serve stops on westbound Dale Blvd. between Birchdale Dr. and the Dale City commuter lot, and the opposite occurs in the evenings. The remainder of the route would remain the same.

Dale City-Pentagon-Navy Yard: Routing is proposed to no longer operate between the Dale City commuter lot and the OmniRide Transit Center. The remainder of the route serving Potomac Mills, Telegraph Road, and Horner Road commuter lots would remain intact. Service along Dale Blvd. will be available on the modified Dale City-State Department and extended Dale City-Pentagon-Rosslyn routes.

Montclair-Washington, DC: Service is proposed to be extended to operate between the Dale City commuter lot and Waterway and Spring Branch Way. New stops would be added between the commuter lot and Waterway and Spring Branch Way before continuing regular routing along Waterway Dr.

Montclair-Pentagon: Service is proposed to be extended to operate between Benita Fitzgerald Dr. and Cloverdale Road and Waterway and Spring Branch Way. New stops would be added along Benita Fitzgerald Dr. and Cardinal Dr. before continuing regular routing at Waterway and Spring Branch Way.

South Route 1-Pentagon-Washington, DC: Service is proposed to be extended between Benita Fitzgerald Dr. and Cloverdale Road and Route 1 and American Eagle Blvd. Before continuing regular routing at American Eagle Blvd, new stops would be added along Benita Fitzgerald and Cardinal Drive.

Local Route 65 in Manassas: The proposal is to increase core service frequency from every 90 minutes to every 45 minutes. Service would operate in two branches, 65N and 65B. Route 65N would operate between the western Hub and NOVA, and restore direct access to Manassas Mall, in addition to serving the Portsmouth commuter lot. Service along Irongate Way would be eliminated. Route 65B would operate between the western Hub and the new Balls Ford Road commuter lot, in addition to serving Manassas Mall and residential communities along Coverstone Drive west of Ashton Avenue.

Metro Express Route 60: The proposal is to increase service to operate all-day bi-directionally between Manassas and the Tysons Metrorail Station. Direct service to Manassas Mall would be restored. The route will also serve the new Balls Ford Road commuter lot for direct access to the I-66 express lanes and restore service to Route 28 between I-66 and downtown Manassas.

The Prince William County Department of Transportation aims to build a seven-story, $53 million parking garage near Wegmans grocery store in Woodbridge.

The plan for the new structure dates back more than 10 years. Initially, planners said commuters would park at the garage during the day, while baseball fans would flock to it on nights at weekends to watch Minor League Baseball games at a newly-constructed stadium. 

Fast-forward to now. The baseball team moved out of Prince William County, headed 30 miles south, and became the Fredericksburg Nationals. Then the pandemic hit, prompting more people to work from home. 

To date, commuter lots in eastern Prince William County see a fraction of the cars that once parked in them.

The Horner Road Commuter Lot at Prince William Parkway and Interstate 95 is the state’s largest and is considered a possible site for a new Washington Commanders football stadium.

• Of the 2,300 available parking spaces, 710 are used, as just 30% of the Horner lot is used.
• At the Dumfries Commuter Lot at Routes 1 and 234, where drivers used to illegally park curbs and grassy areas to Slug or catch a bus to the office, only 35% of the lot’s 925 spaces are full. 

At some lots with hundreds of spaces, 50 or fewer spaces are used. We’re citing recent data sent to us from the Virginia Department of Transportation, recorded last year.

• Here’s the full breakdown from VDOT.

Since then, there’s been a slow return to offices in the Washington area. OmniRide, a commuter bus service from Prince William and Stafford counties, says it’s busiest during the week but sees few passengers on Monday and Friday. 

Virginia Railway Express can only fill 25% of its trains compared to 2019 pre-pandemic ridership numbers.

Meanwhile, The Prince William Board of County Supervisors will hold a Design Public Hearing for the seven-story parking tower at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, at the Prince William County Government Center, 1 County Complex Court in Woodbridge. 

Residents will learn more about the plan to build 1,400 more commuter parking spaces at the projected cost of $38,000 per space. If built, the lot next to I-95 will likely become the central transit hub for eastern Prince William County, shifting the transfer point for OmniRide buses from its headquarters to the parking garage.

In addition, the county wants to build pedestrian improvements to and from the garage. Plans for the new garage are on the county’s website. Transurban, the I-95 E-ZPass lanes operators, will build a new access ramp from the lanes to Opitz Boulevard to provide better access to the parking tower.

In March, Prince William County leaders awarded The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company a design-build contract to build the garage. The construction cost has increased by about $16 million since planners envisioned the project in 2017.

The parking tower will replace commuter parking spaces used by commuters at Potomac Mills mall until 2011. The mall stopped allowing commuters to park and built several restaurants, like The Cheesecake Factory. The lot will also relieve capacity at commuter lots on Routes 1 and Route 234 and Prince William Parkway and Horner Road, near Interstate 95.

The future of local bus service in some areas of Manassas and Manassas Park won’t be riding on a bus.

OmniRide will purchase four minivans to operate the micro-transit service in Manassas and Manassas Park. OmniRide will use vans to provide a “flexible” transit service similar to Lyft or Uber that will allow riders to book a ride through their phone or by calling OmniRide’s Customer Service office.

The four vans will be wheelchair accessible, costing nearly a quarter million dollars for all four. It will allow OmniRide to expand its micro-transit service to other nearby areas if the program is successful.

“While all four minivans may not be used immediately, ordering these while the inventory is available avoids long delays with future purchases and allows for expansion of flexible services sooner,” OmniRide documents state. “These vehicles would be received well before the December launch date to allow for training, branding, and installation of necessary technology equipment.”

The vehicles can transport one wheelchair passenger at a time and have a seating capacity of up to six passengers. Safety features, such as a camera surveillance system, a camera to assist the operator with backing, and various exterior lighting features, will be included.

The vans will begin rolling in December. The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, which governs OmniRide, will vote on the purchase at tonight’s 7 o’clock meeting at 14700 Potomac Mills Road in Woodbridge.

What’s old is new again. Local buses, once known in Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park as OmniLink, used to offer “deviations” where riders could call ahead and schedule a pickup or drop off as long as the stop was no more than three-quarters of a mile from the regular bus route.

OmniRide will end its local bus 68 service in Manassas Park on December 12, 2022, in favor of micro transit. According to the transit agency, residential areas make up most of the route, which lacks points of interest that would generate more ridership. With the lowest ridership of all routes, the 68 buses carried about three passengers per hour in October 2021.

The Prince William County Department of Transportation will seek feedback from residents about a $53.3 million, seven-story parking garage in Woodbridge.

The county will hold a Design Public Hearing in the Prince William County Board Chambers at the McCoart Building at 2 p.m., Sept. 20, 2022, where they can learn more about the plan to build 1,400 spaces on a county-owned property that was once earmarked for the construction of Minor League Baseball stadium for the Potomac Nationals, at 2501 Opitz Boulevard, across from Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge.

The towering project will also include off-site roadway and pedestrian improvements to facilitate access to and from the garage. Plans for the new garage are on the county’s website.

Transurban, the I-95 E-ZPass lanes operators, will build a new access ramp from the lanes to Opitz Boulevard to provide better access to the parking tower.

In March, Prince William County leaders awarded The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company a design-build contract to build the garage. The construction cost has increased by about $16 million since planners first envisioned the project in 2017.

The parking tower will replace commuter parking spaces used by commuters at Potomac Mills mall until 2011. The mall stopped allowing commuters to park and built several restaurants, like The Cheesecake Factory. The lot will also relieve capacity at commuter lots on Routes 1 and Route 234 and Prince William Parkway and Horner Road, near Interstate 95.

County transportation officials told us in March that it’s too soon to say when the new garage will open.

In 2018, a deal to build a new baseball stadium for the Potomac Nationals at the site where the garage will sit fell through when the Board of County Supervisors opted not to back the stadium project with public funds. The decision resulted in the team moving from Woodbridge, where it had played since 1983, to a new stadium in Fredericksburg.

A first for the area, OmniRide will implement a new local bus service on Sundays.

Buses will travel along the Woodbridge/Lake Ridge, Dale City, Dumfries, Route 1 routes, and Prince William Metro Express between Woodbridge and the Franconia-Springfield Metro station.

The service will cost about $1 million a year and will begin Sunday, August 28.

Sunday service will mimic the Saturday service schedule in place since 2004. There is no weekend service in western Prince William County, Manassas, or Manassas Park.

The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission unanimously approved Sunday service at its July 7 meeting in Woodbridge.

“Sunday service will be very beneficial for residents,” said Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin, a transportation commission member. “We do have some initial work to get people back onto the bus as we’re still working on getting ridership back to 100 percent since the pandemic.”

“Sunday service is not only good for OmniRide but good for the region,” said Prince William County Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye, whose constituents requested the new service.

“We’re making the bus sexy,” said Prince William Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry on July 7, the transportation commission’s current chairman.

While new service is added in eastern Prince William, OmniRide is changing service in the west, specifically in Manassas Park. OmniRide will cut Route 68 through Manassas Park on December 12, 2022, and replace it with a service Like Lyft or Uber, called Microtransit, which allows riders to book a ride through their phone or by calling OmniRide’s Customer Service office. Instead of a bus, riders are driven in vans.

Also, on July 7, commissioners voted to allow transit agency staff to begin tinkering with local bus routes in both the eastern and western sections of Prince William County. During OmniRide’s Employer Council meeting on June 30, Director of Operations and Operations Planning Perrin Palistrant said it is too soon to provide details on portions of routes that will be restructured.

Commissioners will review the proposed changes at their October 6, 2022, meeting at the system’s transit center at 14700 Potomac Mills Road in Woodbridge. Changes to the bus routes will be implemented next year.

Finally, OmniRide hopes to add a new service from Gainesville to Reston. The commuter bus service would coincide with the opening of the Silver line Metro rail extension.

Riders would board buses at Balls Ford Road and ride to the soon-to-open Innovation station on the Silver line, near Dulles Toll Road and Route 28. Public comment on the service should begin in October, and commissioner approval could come in December.

*This story was corrected to reflect the correct route number for the Manassas Park bus to be discontinued.

Uriah Kiser is the founder and publisher of Potomac Local News. Send news tips to [email protected].