Prince William to net $200 million in transit deal

Woodbridge, Va. — Prince William County is in line to receive 1,000 new commuter parking spaces and a wider U.S. 1 as part of a $220 million transportation deal struck with state officials.

Sources told PotomacLocal.com on Monday county officials and state elected delegates on both sides of the isle were in talks over the weekend with Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton.

As part of the deal, the county will receive $220 million from Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s statewide $4 billion transportation package still awaiting approval from the General Assembly for widening U.S. 1 in Woodbridge between the Occoquan River and Va. 123, widening Interstate 66 between U.S. 29 and U.S. 15 in western Prince William County, and an additional 1,000 commuter parking spaces at the Horner Road commuter lot – already the largest commuter lot in the state.

There’s also word the county will reinstate its now stalled road bond projects, and will spend an additional $150 million of county taxpayer money to build a flyover from Va. 123 into the developing Belmont Bay neighborhood in the next three to six years.

The initiative would kick open the door to funding of other widening projects for U.S. 1 in Woodbridge, including widening the highway between Featherstone Road and Neabsco Mills Road.

“I think we are going to get those extra commuter parking spaces as part of the governor’s $4 billion transportation plan,” said Neabsco District Supervisor John D. Jenkins on Monday afternoon.

There is no word on when an official announcement will be made, but a commuter town hall has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferlazzo Building in Woodbridge to address the decision by Potomac Mills mall to reduce commuter parking there by 75 percent.