FREDERICKSBURG — Officials will reignite talks of an outer connector road, a bypass that would help alleviate congestion on Interstate 95 in Fredericksburg region.
There are several options for an outer connector, with some plans starting the road at I-95 at Massaponnax and taking it west through Spotsylvania County, crossing the Rappahannock River into Stafford County, and then reconnecting to I-95 at Stafford’s Centreport Parkway, near the county’s regional airport.
An eastern route would see the construction of a road that begins east of Fredericksburg’s Shannon Airport, running from Route 17 north across the Rappahannock River, across Route 3, through the White Oak section of Stafford County, and again reconnecting with I-95 at Centerport Parkway.
Elected officials at the Fredericksburg Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) will take up the discussion on the long-talked-about road Monday at 7:15 p.m. it the planning committee meeting at 406 Princess Anne Street in Fredericksburg. The meeting is open to the public.
The outer connector road has been talked about since 1993 when state highway officials received permission from the feds to construct the current I-95 interchange at Centreport Parkway.
Ten years later, after a series of public meetings, and following the development of several proposed routes, Spotsylvania County officials said they no longer supported plans for an outer connector road.
In Prince William County, Route 234 between I-95 in Dumfries and I-66 in Manassas remains a “corridor of statewide significance,” which means the roadway could one day be upgraded to interstate highway standards (no signal lights, adding interchanges) to carry more traffic.
In 2014, Prince William County officials spent their summer debated their support for building a bi-county parkway that would’ve run the length of that road, and then crossed I-66 through the Manassas National Battlefield, and carried vehicles to Dulles Airport.
At the time, state transportation officials said the road was vital to moving freight to and from the airport.
The bi-county parkway plan was tabled, and Prince William County officials removed the road from its comprehensive plan.
Neighboring Loudoun County continued construction of Northstar Boulevard, a right-of-way could be upgraded and used as the final connection for a bi-county parkway to Dulles Airport.
