GAINESVILLE, Va. – Less than a day after saying he was open to revisiting a connector tied to the Bi-County Parkway, Gainesville District Supervisor candidate George Stewart is clarifying his position.
In a press release on Friday, Stewart said he would oppose any parkway project that lacks community support. “After the article was published, I heard from residents and elected officials alike who oppose the Bi-County Parkway project… because they’re concerned that it would become a truck route from Dulles Airport to I-95,” Stewart wrote. He noted the route would pass near neighborhoods and four schools, concerns that gave the earlier plan the nickname “Outer Beltway.”
The comments mark a shift from earlier this week, when Stewart told Potomac Local he was open to revisiting a connector between Pageland Lane and Route 234. He said at the time the project could help ease congestion and improve connectivity between Prince William and Loudoun counties. Stewart tied that idea to broader frustrations with high tolls on Interstate 66, which he called “outright theft,” and gaps in local transit options in Gainesville.
The Bi-County Parkway has been debated for decades as a north–south route from I-95 to Dulles Airport. State and county leaders have repeatedly declared it dead, but the idea resurfaces whenever new growth projects are proposed. Loudoun County is currently moving forward with widening Northstar Boulevard, which could potentially connect with a Pageland Lane corridor if such a road were to be built.
Stewart’s reversal comes as early voting is underway in Prince William County for the November 4 special election. The vote will fill the Gainesville District seat left vacant by the death of Supervisor Bob Weir in July. Stewart won the Democratic nomination in August, while Republican Patrick Harders secured the GOP nod in a firehouse primary.
