FAMPO’s River Crossing Parkway Study Survey is open until January 3, 2025, inviting public feedback on transportation development in the Fredericksburg region. The survey allows residents to share opinions on the project’s impact on regional needs, the community, and access to goods and services.

Press Release:

FAMPO’s River Crossing Parkway Study Survey is now open until January 3rd, 2025! If you drive, walk, or roll in the Fredericksburg region, you can make an impact on how transportation develops by providing feedback during public comment periods. You are invited to provide feedback on the River Crossing Parkway Study by completing our online survey. To view the presentation boards used during our November 20th River Crossing Study Public Meeting, please click here.

 

Press Release: Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) is working towards an eventual National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) certification for a river crossing bridge and parkway west of I-95, across the Rappahannock River.

This new crossing would provide direct access between Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg and help offer a more reliable transportation network including more north/south routes for local traffic and additional routes for emergency responders, transit, and bicycle/pedestrian users, while reducing everyday reliance of trips accessing the I-95 corridor.

At the May 15th, 2023, FAMPO Policy Committee meeting, the committee reviewed and approved a rough draft Purpose and Need statement for a River Crossing Parkway NEPA Alternatives Study. FAMPO staff, with assistance from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) produced a River Crossing Research Report, which the FAMPO Policy Committee adopted in June 2023. Consultants, Michael Baker International (MBI) were selected to proceed with a River Crossing Parkway Alternatives Study.

In conjunction with FAMPO, MBI is performing this study as a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) alternatives study for the various crossing options. MBI, in conjunction with FAMPO, will conduct an Open House workshop on March 20th 2024, at the VDOT Auditorium located at 86 Deacon Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22405, from 5 pm-7 pm.

This open house is a drop-in style meeting where the community can talk directly with members of the project team about the river crossing options. At the Open House, MBI will present a revised draft Purpose and Need statement, share relevant traffic and environmental data, and the study corridors under development, and solicit public input from the community. The public will be given the opportunity to provide written comments throughout the workshop.

An additional second public meeting will be held in late summer/early fall.

MBI will evaluate the transportation and environmental impacts of alternative alignments within the Project Study Area and will add public input to the transportation and safety needs. Data collection includes assembling existing information, conducting traffic counts and traffic model simulations, and obtaining key stakeholder insights on corridor congestion, safety, public transit, bicycle/pedestrian issues/usage, etc.

In addition, MBI will review project alternatives, comparing environmental and human impacts, costs, and effectiveness. For further information, please email FAMPO at [email protected].

As reported earlier this week, Wednesday’s heavy rains caused the Rappahannock River to spill its banks.

In the photos above, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office shows us the damage the river caused to River Road, which runs along the river bank.

River Road links Routes 1 and 3 via Falmouth and provides access to John Lee Pratt Park, home of Stafford County’s Independence Day fireworks celebration.

VDOT reports it’s working on cleaning up the mess.

I had to end this post with the predictably witty comment from the sheriff’s office; “The floodwater on River Road has receded faster than The Rock’s hairline, but there is still a great deal of clean-up required. Thanks to Volunteer Traffic Safety Sergeant Seymour for capturing these photos.”

A torrential downpour enveloped the City of Fredericksburg on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, flooding streets and soaking yards, affecting residents on several fronts where area schools closed early and roads were blockaded with cones.

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The Rappahannock River will spill its banks tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.

According to the National Weather Service, minor flooding will occur starting late tomorrow morning, when the river will rise to 15 feet, three feet above flood stage.

The river will crest at about 15 feet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. The water will begin rising from six feet at 1 a.m. to about 14 feet at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, the weather services states.

Due to flooding, drivers can no longer access Old Mill Park along the river in Fredericksburg. The park is a popular destination for festivals and events.

The water levels in the Rappahannock have not been this high since April 18, 2011, according to the weather service.

More on this as we have it.

In 2018, we covered large floods along the Rappahannock River that left roads and the Historic Port of Falmouth Park in Stafford County — just across the river from Old Mill Park — underwater.

Five inches of rain fell in 48 hours.