A bill that will allow the county government to remove shrubbery from roadways that are blocking the view of drivers.
Currently, it’s the Virginia Department of Transportation’s job to clear overgrowth from the roads. The bill was introduced by Virginia Senator Richard Stuart (R-Stafford, Prince William), and Delegates Joshua Cole (D-28, Fredericksburg, Stafford) and Mark Cole (R-88, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania).
It comes after the death of Colonial Forge High School student Helen Wang, 17, who was killed May 6, 2019, on her 17th birthday after leaving a picnic at Abel Lake in Stafford County. As she tried to pull out of a boat ramp and onto Kellogg Mill Road, her view was obstructed by brush and she was struck and killed by an oncoming car.
Her death prompted action among Stafford County students who all lined up to lobby the county’s Board of Supervisors for improvements on many of the county’s two-lane roads. In November, county voters authorized the Board of Supervisors to spend up to $50 million to improve thoroughfares like Elon, Garrisonville, Layhill, Leeland, Morton, and Shelton Shop roads to name a few.
On Tuesday, those same students went to Richmond to testify in front of a Senate committee on the bill, where it was ultimately passed with 10 in support, and three abstentions to include Prince William County Senator Jeremy McPike (D-29). The bill now heads to the full Senate for approval.
Facebook post from Stafford County Supervisor Tom Coen |
