North Stafford, Va. –– A commuter lot in North Stafford will be expanded.
Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton is expected to announce Thursday a $5 million expansion of the Staffordboro commuter lot at Garrisonville Road (Va. 610) and Staffordboro Boulevard.
The expansion announcement comes as state transportation officials last month approved a plan for High Occupancy Toll lands. As part of the project, two reversible lanes will be constructed from Dumfries to Va. 610.
The entire length of the approved lanes will run between North Stafford and Edsall Road in Alexandria.
The newly expanded commuter lot would also have a street that would connect Doc Stone shopping plaza and Stafford Marketplace, allowing drivers the option not to use congested Va. 610 to travel between the busy shopping places.
“The Staffordboro lot has been at 160 percent capacity for years. This new lot will allow for about 1,800 cars to park there, and the newly expanded lot will have two entrances,” said Stafford Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Dudenhefer.
With an additional entrance way, drivers headed west on Va. 610 will be able to exit the lot using Doc Stone Road while eastbound traffic will still be able to use the exit on Staffordboro Boulevard.
A study will have to be completed before construction of the new lot can begin. The study could be complete by the end of next year, said Dudenhefer.
North Stafford commuters have long been plagued by a lack of commuter parking in the area.
A previous attempt by county officials to rent parking spaces from a Target store in the Stafford Marketplace was unsuccessful.
