Virginia State Police press release): The Virginia State Police is investigating a fatal two-vehicle fatal crash that occurred Monday (April 8, 2024) at 3:30 a.m. on Interstate 95 northbound at the 151-mile marker.

A 1986 GMC pickup was driving northbound on I95 when the driver ran off the road left, struck the guardrail, overcorrected and then struck a 2023 Kia Telluride. The Telluride was also travelling north. The GMC pickup then rolled over twice.

A passenger in the pickup, Nora L. Butler, 48, was ejected and died at the scene. She was not wearing a seatbelt.

The driver of the pickup, Kenneth L. Combo, Jr., 59, of Leesburg, was seriously injured. Charges are pending against Combo for failing to maintain control of the vehicle.

The driver of the Telluride, Johnnie Robinson, 73, of Savannah, Georgia, was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 9, community leaders and residents of Prince William County will gather for a significant milestone in local infrastructure development. U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, representing Virginia’s 7th congressional district, will join Prince William County officials for a press conference marking the securing of $2.5 million in funding for an interchange at Minnieville Road and Prince William Parkway.

Recently signed into law, the funding is earmarked for constructing an interchange and other enhancements at the intersection of Minnieville Road and Prince William Parkway.

The event, scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 2024, from 10 to 10:30 a.m., will occur at the James J. McCoart Administration Building Plaza, located at 1 County Complex Court in Woodbridge, Virginia.

The project’s focal point is the establishment of a Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) at the Minnieville Road and Prince William Parkway intersection. This infrastructure development aims to alleviate traffic congestion, enhance safety measures, improve accessibility and connectivity, and bolster regional economic initiatives.

Additionally, the allocated funds will support the construction of sidewalks and trail segments, contributing to pedestrian and cyclist safety while enhancing their mobility options within the community.

Spanberger’s efforts underscore a collaborative approach between federal and local authorities to address critical infrastructure needs, reflecting a commitment to advancing the well-being and prosperity of Prince William County residents.

Authorities said a woman was severely injured while walking along Interstate 95 near Quantico.

State police tell us:

Virginia State Police is investigating a crash involving a pedestrian and two vehicles which occurred at 8:45 a.m. Monday (April 1, 2024) on Interstate 95 southbound at the 148-mile marker in Prince William County.

A 2012 Freightliner Cascadia truck was traveling southbound on I-95 when it was unable to avoid a pedestrian in the travel lanes. The Cascadia was then struck in the rear by 2023 Ram 3500.

The pedestrian, a 66-year-old woman of Falls Church, suffered serious injuries and was taken to an area hospital and then flown to VCU Medical Center in Richmond.

Neither driver was injured in the crash. Both were wearing their seatbelts.

The crash remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, a 48-year-old Woodbridge man was injured in a crash on Sunday, March 31, 2024.

Virginia State Police is investigating two separate crashes that occurred Sunday (March 31, 2024) at 3:38 a.m. on the Interstate 66 Express Lanes (westbound) at the 56-mile marker in Fairfax County.

The first crash occurred when a 2019 Toyota C-HR lost control on Interstate 66 westbound, struck the right guardrail, overturned into the lanes of travel, and then ended up in the I-66 westbound express lanes. The vehicle also lost power.

Following that crash, a 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, traveling westbound in the express lanes, was unable to avoid the C-HR, and struck the C-HR in the rear. The Range Rover then overturned twice into the median.

A passenger in the Range Rover, My Doan, 43, was ejected and suffered serious injuries. She was not wearing a seatbelt.

The driver of the Range Rover, George Davis III, 48, of Woodbridge, Va., and a second passenger, Shamal Taylor, 40, suffered minor injuries. Taylor was not wearing a seatbelt.

The driver of the C-HR, Jose G. Mendoza, 32, of Falls Church, Va., suffered minor injuries. Mendoza has been charged with driving under the Influence (first offense).

The crash remains under investigation.

A sinkhole formed on Route 610 Road in North Stafford.

VDOT crews are on the scene to repair the hole in the center of the westbound portion of the street at Novak Drive. Garrisonville is reduced to a single westbound and eastbound lane near Novak Drive to allow crews to investigate the cause of the sinkhole and make repairs.

Route 610 traffic travels through the work zone in the eastbound travel lanes, with one lane open in each direction.

The sinkhole is 12 inches wide, with a depression in the pavement for several feet around the opening. VDOT tells us it did not detect a gas leak in the area.

A driver notified Potomac Local News of the sinkhole last night, Sunday, March 31, 2024, and we called the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office to report it.

 

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch

(The Center Square) — Virginia is beginning to experience some of the impacts from the cargo ship crash that brought down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, closing a vital shipping lane leading to one of the eastern seaboard’s busiest ports.

Shortly after, on Thursday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin offered to assist neighboring Maryland. Within hours, the commonwealth’s ports were already preparing to absorb some of the diverted shipping traffic.

In 2023, the Port of Baltimore handled nearly 850,000 automobiles and light trucks, the most in the U.S. The port also ranks second in the nation for exporting coal, and sixth for importing coffee. The port leads the nation for roll-on/roll-off cargo. With most of its ports inaccessible, some ships are being diverted to other eastern ports.

Joe Harris, senior director of media relations for the Port of Virginia, told The Center Square within hours of the accident, one of the terminals at the Virginia International Gateway processed a rerouted container ship, saying they “anticipate these diverted volumes to increase.”

Harris doesn’t anticipate the increased cargo traffic will create any delays, saying the port has plenty of space to take on the extra loads. However, he acknowledged there is still a lot of “unknown” about how many ships they can expect.

“We have ample capacity in terms of container yards and berth space” for container vessels, Harris said. “Right now it’s unclear how many additional vessel calls/corresponding cargo volumes to expect here; one of the primary factors behind this ‘unknown’ is that we do not know how long the Port of Baltimore will remain closed to vessel traffic.”

In addition to the increased volume of cargo traffic, Harris is confident the Port of Virginia will be able to keep up with manpower.

“One thing of which we are certain is that we will maintain our service levels,” Harris said. “This is a modern, 21st-century port that has a significant amount of experience in handling surges of import and export cargo. Workforce size is not an issue.”

The Port of Baltimore is a bustling cargo and host port to two major cruise lines, Carnival and Royal Caribbean. One of Carnival’s cruise ships was scheduled to return to Baltimore on Sunday but will be rerouted to Norfolk.

“While rescue and remediation efforts continue in Baltimore Harbor following the collapse of the Key Bridge, it will temporarily move Carnival Legend’s Baltimore operations to Norfolk, Virginia,” the cruise line released in a statement.

They added that guests will be provided with bus service back to Baltimore, and next week’s scheduled cruise will operate from and return to Norfolk.

The Center Square reached out to Royal Caribbean requesting information on future cruises originating out of the Port of Baltimore but has yet to receive a response before publication.

One thing that remains uncertain is how the extra volume of truck and train traffic will impact the I-95 corridor, which is already one of the busiest and most congested in the nation.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) was in Stafford County on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, to tout her efforts to bring federal dollars to the district.

At a press conference at the county movement center, orchestrated by Spanberger’s office, said a county spokeswoman, Spanberger announced $1.7 million in transportation funding for the region.

Several public officials, including Delegate Josh Cole (D), Treasurer Mike Sienkowski (R), Stafford Supervisors Pamela Yeung, Deuntay Diggs, Supervisor Monica Gary, and BoardChairman Meg Bohmke, as well as Sheriff David Decatur, attended the event.

Spanberger’s office did not invite Potomac Local to the press conference. It is the second press conference held by Spanberger this month that we did not receive an invitation to cover.

The snubs come after Potomac Local pressed the congresswoman at a February 2023 press conference in Woodbridge, used to encourage federal officials to increase the Federal Government’s debt ceiling, when we asked her, as a House Intelligence Committee member and former CIA officer, what she was doing to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens while a Chinese spy balloon floated over the country.

Spanberger responded, saying increasing the Federal Government’s ability to spend money far outweighed the spy balloon concerns.

Spanberger seeks the Democratic Party nomination to run for Virginia Governor in 2025. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is also seeking the party’s nomination.

Route 1 is closed at Port Potomac in Woodbridge, near Cardinal Drive.

A crash took out the traffic control box for the lights this morning, said Prince William Police Lt. Jonathan Perok. Cones are in place to guide drivers around the repair work. There’s no ETA for the repair, he added.

More as we have it.

“Most of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors made it clear during a meeting Tuesday night they have no interest in joining a Regional Transportation Authority with Fredericksburg as well as Stafford, King George and Caroline counties,” the Fredericksburg Free Press reports.

By Sarah-Roderick Fitch

(The Center Square) – Following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is offering assistance to the state of Maryland.

The bridge spans over the Patapsco River and supports part of I-695, one of the major arteries around Baltimore.

Youngkin says he has been in contact with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who declared a state of emergency.

In a social media post, the Virginia Republican wrote, “I have spoken with Gov. Wes Moore this morning, and Virginia stands ready to assist and support our neighbor Maryland. Our prayers are with the families affected and the courageous rescue efforts underway following the tragic incident at Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

A Singapore-based container ship rammed one of the support pillars, plunging the bridge into the frigid water below. Baltimore County Fire Chief James Wallace briefed reporters, saying two people have been rescued, with as many as seven people remain missing.

The tragic incident will likely have a mammoth impact on the region, including the Northeast corridor. The bridge carries traffic to and from the nation’s capital and Virginia.

With the container ship and remnants of the bridge blocking access to Baltimore’s harbor, one of the county’s major commercial shipping ports, there is no word yet where cargo intended for Baltimore will be routed.

It is possible ports in and around the Hampton Roads region may play a pivotal role until Baltimore’s harbor can be cleared.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said he is in contact with Moore regarding the incident and is offering federal assistance.

In a social media post, Buttigieg wrote, “I’ve spoken with Gov. Moore and Mayor Scott to offer USDOT’s support following the vessel strike and collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge. Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response.”