Don’t stop: Route 234 project to eliminate back-to-back lights in Prince William Co.

The most problematic area is in a stretch of the Route 234 Bypass, where Dumfries Road, Brentsville Road and Prince William County Parkway all intersect with the bypass. Drivers can often be stopped by two traffic lights while navigating through the area.

The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is funding the $55 million project, which was first conceptualized by the Virginia Department of Transportation back in 1994.

The project realigns a section of Brentsville Road and constructs side-by-side bridges that cross the Route 234 Bypass — one bridge carries Brentsville Road traffic, the other carries Prince William Parkway traffic.

“This eliminates the existing traffic signals,” Wheeler said.

The bridges will feed a series of ramps, which carry traffic onto each of the nearby roadways. In a March 18  video presentation, project heads demonstrated the flow of traffic, heading from and toward Manassas, Dumfries and Gainesville.

The project includes improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, including a multiuse path along the Brentsville Road bridge, which connects to nearby existing paths.

The project has made some tweaks to address concerns voiced by neighbors, and a group called Active Prince William, which advocates for cyclists and pedestrians.

According to the county’s public information presentation from March 22, an additional pedestrian overpass over the Bypass, located east of the new bridges, is being considered.