Residents living near a proposed Route 28 bypass near Manassas express a loss of trust in the county government's decision-making process. Initially, the county voted against the $300 million, four-lane, four-mile road extension of Godwin Drive, only to reverse its stance shortly after that.
Business groups like the Prince William Chamber of Commerce support the bypass, saying its key to unclogging traffic congestion on Route 28, one of the region's busiest roads.
This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.
The Prince William County Department of Transportation and the Prince William County Planning Office are gathering public input for a multimodal corridor study on Route 28 in the Yorkshire area.
This study, funded by an $80,000 grant from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Transportation Planning Board, explores cost-effective alternatives to enhance multimodal travel options over a two-mile stretch of Route 28.
A survey is available on the Yorkshire Multimodal Corridor Study page to facilitate public participation. According to the county government, the survey is crucial for the study’s development and will remain open until February 29, 2024. An open house is scheduled for February 15, 2024, at Yorkshire Elementary School, 7610 Old Centreville Road, Manassas, at 6:30 p.m.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors County 2040 Comprehensive Plan, adopted by the Board of County, designated Yorkshire as an activity center when it approved its most recent comprehensive land-use plan in 2022.
Meanwhile, the county government is also considering constructing a four-mile Route 28 bypass, an extension of Godwin Drive, from UVA Prince William Medical Center in Manassas to Route 28 in Fairfax County.
Last fall, the Board of County Supervisors sunk an additional $1 million for the bypass project’s redesign. Transportation Director Rick Canizales raised uncertainties about Fairfax County’s commitment to the $300 million project.
Potential challenges include demolishing six homes in Fairfax County and 70 homes in Prince William County. Canizales told Prince William’s Supervisors in October 2023 that concerns have been raised about political hesitation for the project during an election year in Fairfax County. The bypass, discussed for over a decade, remains scrutinized for its future viability.
In 2020, the Board of County Supervisors unanimously decided to widen a nearly four-mile stretch of Route 28 in Yorkshire, between Liberia Avenue in Manassas and the Fairfax County line instead of building the bypass. The project had been estimated to cost about $400 million.
However, one month later, the Board overturned its decision in a 5-3 decision along party lines, with Democrats voting in favor, prompting a return to the Godwin Drive extension (Route 28 bypass). Former Chair At-large Ann Wheeler pushed for reconsideration and expressed support for the Godwin Drive extension and a future bi-county parkway connecting Interstate 95 in Dumfries to Dulles Airport in Loudoun County.
However, an $89 million funding allocation for the Godwin Drive extension faced potential withdrawal by Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Chair Phyllis Randall, who also serves as Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair At-large.
“I’m not going to allow this [funding] to be unappropriated for months and months,” Randall scolded during September 8, 2020, Board of County Superviosrs meeting, in which she and a delegation from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority lined up to speak the board members, most of whom were just nine months on the job. “I will put forth a motion to disappropriate the project altogether.”
The threat also prompted a shift in support from the Manassas City Council, ensuring endorsement of the Godwin Drive extension two months after it initially voted to pull support for the bypass.Â
Unleash your inner hero: Join the Potomac Local ‘Locals Only’ membership!
In a world filled with everyday heroes and extraordinary tales, Potomac Local is your trusted source for news and stories that matter in our community. Join Today!
Prince William County will sink an additional $1 million into a Route 28 bypass project to redesign a road, allowing drivers from the western part of the county and Fauquier County to bypass Manassas and Manassas Park and get into Fairfax County sooner.
The move comes after Prince William County Transportation Director Rick Canizlaes said he's uncertain about the $300 million project's future, telling county leaders that elected officials in Fairfax County could back out of the deal.
This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.
Residents gathered at the Manassas Park Community Center to speak out on a plan to build a $300 million bypass (a pre-inflation figure announced in 2019) in a floodplain between Sudley Road (Route 234) and Centreville Road (Route 28) just outside Manassas.
Several residents who spoke at the April 20 meeting said flooding is a serious issue within the area Prince William County plans to build the four-lane, three-and-a-half mile street.
This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.
The Prince William County Transportation Department will host a town-hall meeting in Manassas Park on a $300 million bypass about four miles long and wedged between the Fairmont and Loch Lomond neighborhoods in Sudley, near Manassas.
The department calls it a public information meeting to be held on Thursday, April 20, at Manassas Park Community Center, 99 Adams Street, Manassas Park, both beginning at 6:30 p.m.
County leaders have previously said construction crews might need to demolish some homes to make way for the new street, though road crews have not released a final plan for the project. The road will be an extension of Godwin Drive in Manassas, along an alignment once called the Tri-County Parkway until that project was scrapped.
The meetings will inform residents about the project’s background, and current status, including aspects of the Bypass that most directly impact the PWC community. During the events, we plan to provide an overview of the projects latest updates and timeline, give the public an opportunity to review the project exhibits on display, engage in information sharing and discussion, meet with Prince William County representatives, and provide input. Spanish interpretation will be provided for those who prefer Spanish. Additional information about the project can be found at route28bypass.com.
You can submit questions before the meeting by emailing [email protected]. All questions will be responded to in a timely manner via email or through our website, route28bypass.com.
The Prince William County Transportation Department will host two town-hall meetings in Fairfax and Manassas Park on a $300 million bypass about four miles long and wedged between the Fairmont and Loch Lomond neighborhoods in Sudley, near Manassas.
The department calls them public information meetings, held on Wednesday, April 19, at Centreville Elementary School, 14330 Green Trails Boulevard, in Centreville, and Thursday, April 20, at Manassas Park Community Center, 99 Adams Street, Manassas Park, both beginning at 6:30 p.m.
County leaders have previously said construction crews might need to demolish some homes to make way for the new street, though road crews have not released a final plan for the project. The road will be an extension of Godwin Drive in Manassas, along an alignment once called the Tri-County Parkway until that project was scrapped.
The Prince William County Department of Transportation is hosting in-person Public Information Meetings (PIMs) about the Route 28 Bypass project on Wednesday, April 19 in Fairfax County and Thursday, April 20 in Prince William County, both beginning at 6:30 pm.
he meetings will inform residents about the project’s background, and current status, including aspects of the Bypass that most directly impact the PWC community. During the events, we plan to provide an overview of the projects latest updates and timeline, give the public an opportunity to review the project exhibits on display, engage in information sharing and discussion, meet with Prince William County representatives, and provide input. Spanish interpretation will be provided for those who prefer Spanish. Additional information about the project can be found at route28bypass.com.
You can submit questions before the meeting by emailing [email protected]. All questions will be responded to in a timely manner via email or through our website, route28bypass.com.
The Prince William County Department of Transportation will hold another virtual information session on the Route 28 Bypass Project. It's the latest in a series of "Transportation Tuesday" sessions it has held periodically this year.
