Photo by Kevin Parker
A Dale City resident who regularly bikes along Minnieville Road noticed a visible sign of change this week: a new traffic signal going up along the busy corridor.
“Took these pictures today at about 1–2 p.m. on my bike ride on Minnieville Road. Maybe newsworthy,” wrote Kevin Parker, who stopped to photograph construction crews erecting the signal. “If so, I would be happy to see you use one or more of them.”
Parker said the work is at Madrona Lane, the entrance to K. Hovnanian’s Four Seasons age-restricted community. The location is just southeast of the Prince William Parkway–Minnieville Road intersection, a heavily traveled crossroads expected to see major construction in the coming months.
The new signal is part of early infrastructure work tied to the Quartz District, a large mixed-use redevelopment planned for the Minnieville Road corridor.
Angry: Expect construction, plan alternate routes
Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry, who represents the area and spoke with Potomac Local News in an interview Friday, Dec. 12, said residents should brace for a “lot of construction” as roadwork and utilities advance around the planned development and interchange project.
Angry said he has been holding public meetings to keep residents informed and is planning another town hall in January to update the community as the roadwork intensifies.
He urged drivers—when possible—to use alternate routes during the most disruptive phases of construction, warning that the construction period will be “painful” for those who routinely drive through the Minnieville Road corridor.
Background: What is the Courts District?
The Courts District—also referred to in planning and developer materials as the Quartz District—is a planned mixed-use development near Prince William Parkway and Minnieville Road in Dale City.
Angry described the project as a destination-style development modeled after the Mosaic District in Fairfax and One Loudoun, featuring a mix of housing, shopping, and entertainment. He said plans include new homes, a nightlife experience, an actual lake with a boardwalk, and what he called a future “state-of-the-art adventure park,” though he said details on the adventure park have not yet been decided.
Angry also emphasized one feature that has drawn intense public interest: the development is expected to include Prince William County’s first Whole Foods Market, a retailer residents have requested for years.
The bigger road project: a Single Point Urban Interchange
In addition to new signals and entrance improvements, the Courts District is tied to a significant reconstruction of the nearby intersection: a Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) planned at the intersection of Prince William Parkway and Minnieville Road.
Angry said the interchange is designed to improve how traffic moves through what he described as a historically poor-performing intersection, to significantly improve flow, even with new development. He said the project will change the area’s roadway layout by reworking the intersection to improve traffic flow.
He also said construction is expected to last well over a year, and possibly closer to two years, depending on whether the project is approved for more extensive night work.
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