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Rugged road ahead

April 4, 2006 1:19 am

The road to transportation solutions in Stafford is much more congested than many county supervisors would like.

Money is scarce.

Engineering for each project takes years.

And support from state and federal sources is, so far, slim.

But the deadline for amending the county's six-year secondary road plan is coming up soon. So supervisors decided in late March to take a temporary shortcut--moving forward with a slightly amended version.

The board asked the county transportation commission to review the six-year plan, which applies to roads numbered 600 and higher, in late January. Byron Hinton, chairman of that group, presented the commission's recommendations at the March 21 supervisors meeting. A public hearing must be held before submitting the amended plan to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Commissioners decided to add just one project to the 2007 plan--widening Mountain View Road to four lanes from Shelton Shop Road to Choptank Road. They also put more money into widening Shelton Shop Road to four lanes from Garrisonville Road to Mountain View Road, which was already on the six-year plan. Both projects were considered necessary because of unusually high traffic volumes, especially since the opening of Mountain View High School last fall, Hinton said.

The $200,000 given to each effort was taken from the fund for a Garrisonville Road widening project. The deficit will be covered by local funding.

Hinton said the commission needs more time to review money allocations for years after 2007. But commissioners believe they are off to a good start.

"We think this is an overall good plan that will meet the citizens' needs and pass their sniff test," Hinton said. "For the other years there is plenty of time to do further review."

Every year, localities review their secondary-road plan for the upcoming six years. In this case, they've examined projects for 2007 through 2012. They have between $3.2 and about $3.3 million to work with each year.

Stafford's plan will be the last in the state to be approved this year. Any amendments must be approved by July 1 or VDOT will revert to the previously approved plan. Given that deadline, supervisors have authorized a joint public hearing with VDOT for April 18. A public hearing must be held whenever there are changes to the previously approved plan.

But several supervisors are still concerned about the overall document.

"I can't support this plan unless the new Andrew Chapel Road is taken off of it," said Supervisor Joe Brito.

He and county residents have previously said that the project would encourage the development of Crow's Nest, an environmentally sensitive peninsula between the Potomac and Accokeek creeks. VDOT officials, however, have said the project would provide a more efficient route to the Brooke commuter station.

Aquia Supervisor Paul Milde, whose district includes Andrew Chapel Road and Crow's Nest, took offense to Brito's remarks, calling it a "boogeyman" theory.

"Listen to this carefully, Joe. Those road connections have no connection to saving the Crow's Nest," he said at the March 21 meeting.

The current Andrew Chapel Road squeezes into a one-lane pass under a railroad bridge.

"That road will not suffice," Milde said. "We can live without it four to five more years, but not indefinitely."

However, he said he also was reluctant to approve the six-year plan without money for widening Courthouse Road from Cedar Lane to U.S. 1. He doesn't want the county to widen parts of Courthouse Road west of Cedar Lane, as the six-year plan already calls for, until it can be widened all the way to U.S. 1.

"It doesn't make sense to widen Courthouse Road partially, he said. "My district is fed by this intersection."

The widening he wants, however, would require reconstructing Interstate 95's Courthouse Road interchange. And VDOT officials say that isn't scheduled to happen for several years. They've advised the supervisors to take that issue up with the Commonwealth Transportation Board in discussions about the Interstate and Primary Road Plan later this year.

Supervisors agree, however, that this year's secondary road plan is just the beginning of the journey toward open roads.

"We were forced to make a decision on [the secondary road plan] based on timelines this year, but that is not indicative of the plan that is evolving behind the scenes," said Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer.

The county Transportation Commission is already researching the county's road problems and designing solution strategies for the future, he said. And supervisors are discussing ways that the county could put more local money into fixing roads. Impact fees, service districts and even a bond referendum on the November ballot have been suggested.

State funding can't address transportation issues alone, Dudenhefer said.

"If we depend on the state we are not going to get anywhere," he said. "People think that the cavalry is on the way. It is not and we have to decide to take ownership of what we've got."

To reach MEGHANN COTTER: 540/374-5434
Email: mcotter@freelancestar.com