Stafford, Va. –– Stafford County is investing its own money to make one road safer.
Residents on Thursday were invited to a public meeting about improvements to Mountain View Road.
The 9.1-mile, two-lane stretch of road traverses the middle of the county and has long been known for its sharp curves, narrow lanes and tight shoulders.
Now, county officials are investing $7 million – $6 million of county money and $1 million in grants – to widen the lanes of the road to a width of 12 feet, add four-foot wide shoulders on each side, as well as storm water drainage to each side of the road.
Voters in a road bond referendum approved the improvements in 2008, and when complete, the road will meet current standards set forth by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
“It shows Stafford’s commitment to improving road safety and shows the culture here is changing. Local government is taking ownership of problems that exist here, and it’s taken five years to work on the culture in Stafford, where the old mantra used to be ‘it’s the state’s responsibility to pay for road improvements,’” said Stafford Board Chairman Mark Dudenhefer.
Dudenhefer lost his 19-year-old daughter in a crash in the county in 2004.
Since that time, he has served on commissions and focused much of his tenure on the county board of supervisors to improving area roads.
