STAFFORD — There are new delays in Stafford County’s effort to expand bike and walking trails in the county.
Leaders late last month once again approved an extension to allow staff to prolong to February 19 the study period for the planned bike and pedestrian trails throughout Stafford.
According to county officials, county staff members require additional time to draft an official plan, hold public hearings, and present the information to the Planning Commission, who will make the final recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
A major piece of the proposal is a bike lane on Route 1 that would start at Courthouse Road and extend to Fredericksburg. There are also plans to expand the US Bike Route 1, a major bicycle route in Virginia, on Deacon Road and Brooke Road.
The plan is to extend the bike lane to Leeland Road and extend to Potomac Run Road. If officials follow through on the plans for these shared use paths, one could get to Shelton Shop and Mine Road from Courthouse Road by walking, biking, or running across the path.
Two public workshops at the end of August and conducted an online survey to gain input from residents.
The current bike and pedestrian facilities are located on Deacon Road, Courthouse Road and next to the Rappahannock River.
The idea of a more connected Stafford County started back in 1996 when the Board of Supervisors first proposed a Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilitates Plan as part of the Comprehensive Plan. Supervisors started talking about it again in 2016.
The effort to identify where the new trails will go is halfway completed, according to officials, as county staff had to gather information, prepare a draft of preparation, and reach out to the public to get their input. The county now just has to prepare a final draft of the trails, hold public hearings, and adopt the plan.
There is no date set for the Board of Supervisors to vote on the trails.
The approval of the time extension was approved by the Board, unanimously, as part of the consent agenda. There was no public discussion from the Board.
On July 10, the Board originally granted an extension of the first time limit to November 30, 2018.
