NORTH STAFFORD, Va. -- New turn lanes have opened at the intersection of Va. 610 (Garrisonville Road) and Va. 684 (Mine Road) in Stafford County, allowing more vehicles to circulate through the area on each traffic signal cycle.
On Va. 610 westbound, a second left turn lane was built to accommodate additional traffic turning onto Mine Road.
Also, a second right turn lane was built on Mine Road for traffic turning onto Route 610 eastbound.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
DALE CITY, Va. — Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell will appear in Dale City on Tuesday to announce the start of construction for the Interstate 95 Express Lanes project.
The project, which will convert the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes between Dumfries and the Springfield Mixing Bowl to High Occupancy Toll, or HOT lanes, will forever change the way commuters travel on I-95.
Scheduled to join McDonnell at the 9:30 a.m. groundbreaking at a rest area on I-95 south is Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connnaughton, Congressmen Gerry Connolly and Rob Wittman, Delegate Bill Howell, of Stafford, and Prince William County Board of Supervisor Chairman At-large Corey Stewart.
The project will not only convert a portion of the existing HOV lanes between Dumfries and Edsall Road in Alexandria, but will extend the lanes nine miles south from Dumfries to Va. 610 (Garrisonville Road) in North Stafford. Also included in the construction will be eight new or improved access points to and from the express lanes at key interchanges, as well as the addition or expansion of commuter parking lots.
The finished project will result in 29 miles of HOT lanes which vehicles with three or more occupants can access for free. Vehicles with just one occupant can choose to pay a toll to use the lanes.
All vehicles will be required to have an E-Z Pass or E-Z Pass Flex to use the lanes, and the toll will vary depending on the amount of vehicles in the express lanes. For single drivers, the average commute is expected to cost somewhere between $5 and $6, according a press release.
The groundbreaking of the 95 Express Lanes comes as McDonnell finally announced the approval of the nearly $1 billion project on Tuesday, which for months had been the worst kept secret in transportation news.
The project in 2008 was marred in controversy and was placed on hold after Arlington County sued the state and pushed for more environmental impact studies to be done before construction could begin. Prince William County officials also opposed I-95 HOT lanes until concessions were made and a handful of new road improvement projects in the county were announced in early 2011.
Ultimately, Arlington officials dropped their lawsuit and state transportation officials redrew plans to end the I-95 HOT lanes facility at Edsall Road.
Calling it “a historical day for transportation and the economy in Virginia,” McDonnell stated that the project will provide congestion relief for Northern Virginia and will add close to 8,000 jobs during the two-year project, which is expected to be completed by 2014.
“The 95 Express Lanes combined with the nearly completed 495 Express Lanes will bring a transportation network that manages congestion efficiently, saving time and better connecting commuters with some of Virginia’s most important employment centers and military sites,” added Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton.
The $925 million project is a joint venture between Transurban Drive and Fluor Enterprises, Inc. The Virginia Department of Transportation will maintain ownership of the infrastructure and will continue to manage the project. Transurban and Fluor will provide $854 million in funding, with VDOT providing the remaining $71 million in public funds, according to the press release.
Integrated in the funding is a traffic safety and enforcement program, which will include technology and crews needed for incident detection and response, as well as more Virginia State Troopers to help reduce the number of HOV violators.
EXPANDED COVERAGE
AQUIA HARBOUR, Va. — Police Chief Trish Harman worked with retiring Prince William County Police Chief Charlie T. Deane for nearly 30 years.
She retired from the Prince William police a Master Detective in 2008, but she’s never forgotten working with Deane and has incorporated much of what she learned from him in her current role as Chief of the Aquia Harbour Police Department.
“He encouraged his officers to remember the servant in public servant. Enforcement was just one component of policing, and he knew there were several other facets to it and he gave us the freedom to explore that and was very open to ideas that involved community,” said Harman.
Deane is known across the country for championing “community policing,” a style of management that removes the wall between the public and the police department. Harman said Deane always believed in involving residents in the workings of their police department, that he didn’t believe in withholding information from them, and expected honesty and professionalism from his officers.
“It’s about transparency in policing. Before, it was always about ‘we’ll let you know what you need to know it,’ and then it became ‘here is all of the information we have, here’s what we’re planning to do, do you have any ideas. He always ahead of his time,” said Harman.
Taking a different approach to law enforcement regularly meant more work.
“[Community policing] creates a lot more work for him. It’s an easier choice just to do the enforcement thing and just run the department, but it’s not the best choice for the community and he knew that very early on when it was not in vogue,” said Harman.
Harman leads a small force of accredited law enforcement officers who patrol the streets of Aquia Harbour, a gated community in North Stafford. She’s been an advocate for a neighborhood watch services, and she involved community residents in the aftermath and clean up of the June 29 derecho storm when Aquia Harbour lost power.
Harman said she made it a point to leave the Prince William police department prior to Deane’s retirement because she didn’t want to work for any other chief.
Deane is set to retire Sept. 1, and a replacement has not yet been named.
BREAKING NEWS
WOODBRIDGE, Va. — The leader of the Prince William County Police Department, Chief Charlie T. Deane, one of the agency’s original officers when the department was founded in 1970, will retire. More from a press release:
Today, Prince William County Executive, Melissa Peacor, announced the retirement of Chief of Police Charlie T. Deane. Chief Deane is currently one of the longest standing police chiefs in the country. He has been chief for more than 24 years. During that time, Deane has overseen numerous investigations, such as the now famous D.C. Sniper Case, the East Coast Rapist Case, and more recently, he oversaw the County’s handling of the Illegal Immigration Enforcement Issue that has since become a hallmark of good policing. Deane was one of the original officers of the Police Department when he transferred from the Virginia State Police to the newly formed Prince William County Police Department as a detective in 1970. His last day as Chief of Police for Prince William County is Sept. 1, 2012.
MORE TO THE STORY: Aquia Harbour police Chief Trish Harmon recalls her 30 years of working with Deane
“This is a tough day for me personally and for the County. Chief Deane has served the citizens of this County with unparalleled integrity and commitment,” said Melissa Peacor, County Executive. “Chief Deane has been a stalwart of law enforcement in this community, this Commonwealth and this nation, bringing innovation and leadership to the business of Policing. Charlie has served with many County Executives over the years, and I believe I can speak for all of us when I say that he has been both a friend and an advisor”.
Since Deane started with the department, it has grown to more than 580 sworn and 300 civilians and has gained a sterling reputation under the guidance of Chief Deane, whose own reputation has grown to a national level. Chuck Wexler, Executive Director of the prestigious Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a well-respected law enforcement think tank in Washington, D.C., said of Deane: “As the Vice President of our organization, Chief Deane has gained a solid national reputation as a fair, lawful and reasonable chief of police. His work on immigration has become a model for many other cities in the United States. Charlie is truly one of the great chiefs of police—a leader of excellent character, competence and caring.”
“I have been honored to work with Chief Deane over the past nine years,” said Corey Stewart, Chairman of the Board of County Supervisors. Chief Deane has provided outstanding service to the citizens of Prince William County and leadership to the Police Department and the entire organization. He has presided over a department known for its excellence and integrity, and although we are sad to see him go, he leaves us with a department made up of men and women who share his professionalism.”
Before deciding any future professional plans, Chief Deane plans on taking some time off, which he says will include some fishing, traveling and working on his family farm in Orange County.
WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Residents forced out of a Woodbridge trailer park are moving back in, and now a new plan in the works could end months of dispute on the future of the park.
Some of the nine families who were still living in their trailers at the Holly Acres Mobile Home Park off U.S. 1 in Woodbridge when Prince William County building officials ordered them out in July returned home this week, said Mark Moorstein, a layer for Holly Acres Trailer Park owner Hank Ridge.
The displaced residents’ trailers had been deemed fire hazards after a September flood ripped apart a portion of the mobile home park, damaging or destroying at least 20 homes.
Those still living in the remaining nine had strung electrical extension cords to power the homes.
This week’s homecoming comes as a new agreement is being worked out between the county and Hank Ridge. Moorstein said he and Prince William officials have come together to not only resolve the issue of the displaced residents, but to once and for all determine the future of the park and the owner’s reconstruction plans, which have been on hold since officials feared rebuilding would jeopardize Prince William’s future participation in a federal flood insurance program.
With both sides back at the table, it appears the county and Ridge may work collaboratively on a reconstruction plan that could involve moving fill dirt into the area to raise the terrain and prevent future flooding.
“We hope that it will be some clear understanding of how we will proceed, and it will be done in a way, we hope, that everybody will benefit,” said Moorstein.
There is no timetable on when a final decision could be made and talks are ongoing.
A new tool will allow drivers to access new toll lanes on the Capital Beltway without being charged.
The Virginia Department of Transportation announced the launch of EZ-Pass Flex, a new transponder that gives drivers the ability to switch between toll-free and toll-paying travel on the 495 Express lanes, which will open later this year.
Commonly known as High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, the project, when complete, will give drivers 14 miles of new lanes from the Springfield Interchange to just north of the Dulles Toll Road. Every vehicle in the lanes will need an EZ-Pass transponder.
“When it comes to reaching important destinations in Virginia, travelers now have choices,” said VDOT Chief Deputy Commissioner Charlie Kilpatrick. “Travelers can take the bus or Metro, drivers can take the 495 Express Lanes or Capital Beltway general purpose lanes, and with the flip of a switch on the E-ZPass Flex and two passengers, choose to carpool toll-free on the Capital Beltway.”
The E-ZPass transponder eliminates the need for toll booths or cash, as the project is designed to make the lanes an all-electronic tolling facility.
Drivers who already have a standard E-ZPass transponder will be able to access the lanes, however, only the E-ZPass Flex transponder offers users the option to choose between a toll-paying mode as a driver, or High Occupancy Vehicle mode (three or more occupants in the car).
By switching to the HOV mode, carpoolers will have the option to access the 495 Express Lanes without paying the toll. Commuter and transit buses will also be able to use the lanes for free.
Also coming soon, the Dulles Metrorail is expected to open in 2013, with new stations in Tyson’s Corner.
The opening of the Express Lanes will be the first time Capital Beltway travelers and public transportation will have the opportunity to use carpool lanes along Interstate 495.
Currently, the HOV-3 lanes on Interstate 95 run just north of the Montclair/Dumfries exits, through the Springfield Interchange and along Interstate 395 to the 14th Street Bridge.
In addition, there are HOV-2 lanes on Interstate 66, located both inside and outside the Beltway.
Drivers can visit 495expresslanes.com to learn how to obtain an EZ-Pass Flex transponder.
PotomacLocal.com has not only reached but exceeded 60,000 page views in a single month for the first time since its launch in June 2010.
A website with a hyperlocal focus on the community it serves, PotomacLocal.com was viewed 63,416 times in July by 23,366 unique visitors who trusted PotomacLocal.com as their source for breaking news and events in Dumfries, Stafford, and Woodbridge. The previous high for the website set in May, 2012 was 50,291 page views by 20,285 unique visitors.
“The investment we’ve made in building a community news and events resource from the ground up is beginning to pay off. We are thankful for our readers and sponsors who visit us every day to be apart of our connected community,” said PotomacLocal.com Publisher Uriah Kiser.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
Daniel Rimkus has played his fair share of basketball games at the Manassas Boys & Girls Club. But what happens when you are too old to play?
Rimkus’ answer to that question is quite clear: you give back to the program that has given you so much over the years.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
UPDATE 6:30 p.m.
A flat tire was the culprit when a large dump truck ran off Va. 234 in Dumfries and into the embankment at a gas station Tuesday.
The driver lost control of the 1993 Ford dump truck about noon and crashed into some shrubbery at a Shell gas station casing $2,500 damage, said Dumfries police Chief Robert Forker.
No one was injured. The truck is registered to Branscome Paving of Manassas, added Forker.
Charges are pending in the case.
ORIGINAL POST 1:15 p.m
DUMFRIES, Va. — Rescue crews were called this morning to a Shell gas station near Va. 234 and Interstate 95 after a dump truck apparently drove onto an embankment.
Details on this one are scares, and we don’t have reports of any injuries in this crash.
We are checking with Dumfries police who responded to the crash scene for an update.
