Belmont Bay Residents Slam Route 123 Flyover Plan, Demand Transparency from County Officials

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – A town hall meeting hosted by Prince William County Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin drew a passionate crowd Monday night, as residents of the Belmont Bay community voiced their overwhelming opposition to a proposed $100 million flyover interchange at Routes 1 and 123.

Franklin and county transportation officials presented a concept plan to elevate Route 123 over Route 1 and extend it directly into the Belmont Bay neighborhood, describing the project as a long-awaited second access point for the growing residential community. The meeting, held near the Belmont Bay neighborhood, included a presentation outlining the flyover’s features, including new trail access, a pedestrian bridge, and a reconfiguration of local roads to improve traffic flow.

But attendees quickly pushed back, questioning the need for such a large infrastructure investment. Many demanded to know which residents or businesses had requested the project — a question Franklin and staff did not answer with specifics.

“Who do you think is driving this?” asked Rob Hartwell, a member of the community’s HOA and vocal critic of the plan. “They keep saying there are neighbors who want this, but I’ve only talked to two people, and they were both here tonight.”

Hartwell said both the Belmont Bay HOA and the Concerned Citizens United for Belmont Bay are already on record opposing the project. He also challenged the project’s premise.

“This flyover was originally proposed to support over 1.5 million square feet of office and retail development — but that’s no longer happening,” he said. “We are a residential community now. We don’t need this level of access anymore.”

Franklin told attendees the proposal remains in the concept phase and emphasized that no additional funding beyond a $3 million design allocation from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority has been secured. She said the meeting’s goal was to gauge community interest before pursuing more funding.

As part of the meeting, Franklin asked residents to scan a QR code on their phones to access a survey asking whether they support the project. Several attendees raised concerns about the survey’s integrity, noting that county officials controlled the voting platform and provided no transparency about how results would be tallied or shared.

“You’re taking a secret vote?” Hartwell asked.

Franklin responded that the survey would help determine next steps, and that the county would also release a second online survey for the broader community in the coming days. She reiterated that the proposal remains “on ice” and that the county won’t move forward without public input.

Still, for many in the room, the process felt rushed and opaque.

“If you say this is for us, but can’t name who asked for it, how can we trust this process?” one woman asked from the crowd.

The current design under consideration is a scaled-back version of a 2011 plan that included a full diamond interchange. Officials said the original project was too expensive and prompted a new study in the early 2020s, resulting in the current flyover concept. County officials said the design has support from VDOT and was selected as the preferred alternative after a STAR (Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions) study.

Franklin told residents the survey results would guide her decision.

“If the majority says no, this is done,” she said. “There is no alternative on the table right now. This is the one that has made it the furthest.”

But to many in the audience, the absence of answers to key questions — including who supports the project and how the vote will be verified — left more doubt than confidence.