STAFFORD — A new pedestrian path could link North Stafford with an area along Route 1 known as “The Wayside.”
Located just south of Coal Landing Road and once a rest stop along busy Route 1, “The Wayside” today is full of trees and was once a pull-off for highway drivers.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is studying a new plan that could link the area with Aquia Town Center, and could, in the future provide new pedestrian access to Government Island Park.
Aquia District Supervisor Cindy Shelton pushed for a STARS (Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions) study of the area. Her “big vision,” as she outlined it at a meeting of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors earlier in the year, is to link the Staffordboro Commuter Lot on Garrisonville Road with a future development known as “Downtown Stafford,” a planned mixed-use neighborhood at the county’s courthouse and government center.
“We talk about a smart county, not just a smart downtown,” Shelton told Supervisors.
For pedestrians walking along Route on a bridge over Interstate 95, it’s no easy feat. There are no sidewalks and vehicles entering and exiting the highway breeze past.
If it’s ever built, a multi-use path would not just to accommodate commuters but also bikers and pedestrians.
“I have no idea how we [build a path across] Route 1 and I-95. That’s why I want a STAR study,” said Shelton.
According to a 2017 VDOT report, 16,000 cars a day use Route 1 in Stafford. The posted speeds are 35 mph on the northern end and 45 mph on the southern end of the route.
The study between North Stafford and The Wayside is just one of multiple STARS studies underway in the region. As road improvements in the area continue to be made, VDOT and other local authorities are looking for ways to improve traffic conditions and make roads safer for commuters, the report states.
Heavy congestion, chokepoints such as I-95 milepost 143 exits at Aquia and Garrisonville, increasing growth of the surrounding counties, and safety concerns are all factors going into finding long term solutions to improve traffic flow.
One possible solution that was presented in a STARS study to VDOT is to create a Restricted Crossing U-Turn (RCUT). The study claims that by installing an RCUT style road it will modify traffic movements to improve safety and increase efficiency. The study also claims that the RCUT will reduce delays and crashes by 50%.
Shelton, however, is not a fan. According to an email, Shelton expressed how this change in the traffic patterns could be a boon in the future to the build-up of a Downtown Stafford.
Several other STARS studies underway now in the Route 1 in Stafford County, between Coal Landing Road and Port Aquia as well as the Route 1 in Spotsylvania County, between Mine Road and Market Street area.
Since work for these studies has just gotten underway it’s too soon to know what recommendations will be made. VDOT anticipates having those recommendations ready by Summer 2019.
A public meeting will be advertised soon after and held to gather feedback on the recommendations. The results of that meeting will be used to drive the development of the final study recommendations which would be made in Fall 2019.
