Work to widen a busy two-mile stretch of Va. Route 28 in Fairfax County that runs from the Prince William County line toward Interstate 66 will begin within weeks.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation on Tuesday provided details of the project, which will widen Route 28 from four to six lanes from just north of the bridge over Bull Run — near the Prince William County line — to the interchange of Route 29.
More than 60,000 vehicles per day travel the stretch of Route 28 in Fairfax County.
Initial construction is scheduled to begin before the end of the year, focusing on temporary shoulder widening in both directions of 28, to provide space for lane shifts during the project.
When full roadway construction begins, in late spring or early summer of 2021, the project plans to keep two lanes of traffic open in each direction during peak hours.
In addition to the widening work on the state road, additional lanes will be built on side streets, to improve turns onto and off of Route 28.
Other improvements will include the removal of several median crossovers, in instances without traffic signals, to minimize the risk of collisions.
Shared use paths that will be 10 feet wide will be constructed on each side of Route 28, and bicycle and pedestrian connections and crossings will be improved.
What is still to be determined is how Prince William County plans to handle traffic on the current Route 28.
In September, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted to build a Route 28 Bypass, rather than just widen Route 28.
Currently, Route 28 through Manassas and Manassas Park consists of scores of traffic lights in the largely commercial span, resulting in daily car and truck congestion.
The bypass will add a four-lane road that extends Godwin Drive from Liberia Avenue, in Manassas, travel through Bull Run Regional Park, and join Route 28 in Fairfax County, just south of Compton Road, located a half-mile north of Bull Run.
