Soil testing at the planned Potomac Shores Virginia Railway Express station has come back clean, clearing a long-standing hurdle so staff can schedule a public groundbreaking with the developer.
VRE Operations Board Chair Andrea Bailey and CEO Katie Choe told the board at its Sept. 18 meeting that work had been paused pending the soil check. With the tests clean, the next step is a groundbreaking ceremony.
Remnants of Hurricane Isaias will bring periods of rain, breezy conditions, and a chance of thunderstorms to Manassas, Fredericksburg, and Woodbridge starting tonight and continuing through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington. Rain is expected to begin late tonight and become widespread Sunday, with totals of three-quarters to one inch possible in many spots and locally higher amounts. East winds will increase Sunday, with gusts of 23 to 26 mph, and a few thunderstorms could develop Sunday afternoon, mainly east of the Blue Ridge.
Conditions improve Monday as the system moves offshore, with partly sunny skies and highs in the mid-70s. Tuesday turns sunny and warmer, with highs near 80 to 82 degrees across the three areas. No Flood Watch is in effect for the region at this time, though the National Weather Service continues to monitor rainfall amounts.
VDOT listed scheduled lane closures for Oct. 11-17 in the Fredericksburg District, weather permitting, the agency said. Drivers can check 511 Virginia for updates.
On I-95, mobile northbound and southbound single lane closures run Monday–Saturday, 8 p.m.–5 a.m., between Exit 133 (Falmouth/Warrenton) and Exit 148 (Quantico) for bridge inspections in Stafford. Other I-95 work includes soil sample collection between Exit 118 and Exit 143, Rappahannock River bridge inspections near Exit 130–133, pavement marker and rumble strip installation near Exit 143, and noise barrier work near Exit 126 in Spotsylvania.
UPDATE, 12:55 p.m.: A motorcycle driver died at the scene after a vehicle struck the motorcycle on Warrenton Road in Stafford County, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. The crash was at the intersection of Village Parkway and Warrenton Road at about 4:50 a.m.
The sheriff’s office said the motorcycle had broken down in the left through lane when the vehicle hit it. Both directions were closed while medical aid was given and the Traffic Safety Unit started its investigation. The road reopened a few hours later. The office said the driver was pronounced dead at the scene and next of kin has been notified. It did not release a name. It said the initial investigation shows no indication that impairment or speed was a factor. The office asked anyone with information or camera footage to contact Deputy Martin at [email protected] or 540-658-4450.
The Virginia Department of Transportation lists overnight lane closures on I-95 and Route 1 through Friday, Oct. 10. The Falmouth Bridge daytime inspection is already posted separately.
On I-95, northbound and southbound bridge inspections run Monday and Wednesday nights, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., from Exit 133 to Exit 148. Soil-sample work continues between Exit 126 and Exit 133, and on southbound from Exit 140 to Exit 126. Pavement marking is scheduled at Exit 143. A southbound noise barrier at Exit 126 keeps a single lane from 8 p.m. and a double lane from 10 p.m., reopening by 7 a.m.
Virginia Railway Express wants a federal planning grant to study how extreme heat, inland flooding and storms could affect its tracks and stations. The Operations Board on Sept. 18 recommended authorization to submit that application jointly with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.
The recommendation covers the U.S. Department of Transportation PROTECT planning-grant round for fiscal years 2024 through 2026. PROTECT is the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation program. Chief Executive Officer Katie Choe told the board she expects the grant to be about $800,000, fully reimbursed, with no local match. That figure is her expectation. It is not an award, and the written item does not state a dollar amount.
Route 1 drivers crossing the Falmouth Bridge between Fredericksburg and Stafford County should expect brief daytime delays next week while the Virginia Department of Transportation inspects the span, the agency said Friday.
The inspection runs Monday, Oct. 5, through Friday, Oct. 9, with alternating lane closures on Route 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting, according to the release. VDOT said the 1943 bridge carries an average of 40,000 vehicles a day and that a major rehabilitation is in the design phase. The release does not say how long each closure will last, which direction closes first, or a construction start date or cost. It points readers to the Falmouth Bridge rehabilitation project page and to 511 Virginia for updates.
Virginia Railway Express will hold the sixth Tour de VRE on Saturday, Oct. 3, a charity ride along the Manassas Line that raises money for the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation. Lindsey Martin, VRE public affairs, said in an Oct. 1 release that registration stays open through Friday, Oct. 2, and that a $35 ticket covers a shirt, a medal, and food and water stops.
The 35-mile ride starts at 9 a.m. at Backlick Road Station, 6900 Hechinger Drive in Springfield, and the 8-mile ride starts at 11 a.m. at Manassas Park Station. Both end at Broad Run Station, 10637 Piper Lane in Bristow. Last year’s ride used the same stations, but the short ride started at 10:45 a.m., and that advisory named a noon finish and 12:30 p.m. remarks this release does not. The public page at vre.org/tourdevre still says route maps and more information are coming soon. The ride honors Maria Foster, wife of VRE’s Kip Foster, who died in July 2021. Earlier VRE accounts gave her name as Maria Bohigas Foster.
OmniRide will open the Transit Center to the public Wednesday for the first of two 40th-anniversary houses the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission put on the calendar at its Sept. 3 meeting.
The Woodbridge house runs 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 14700 Potomac Mills Road.
