WASHINGTON — The Virginia Department of Transportation is taking steps toward an eventual overhaul of one of Northern Virginia’s most congested roads.
Marty Nohe, chairman of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, says the transportation department is conducting a $2.5 million study of Va. 28 this summer.
“For many years, we’ve recognized that one of the biggest congestion problems we have in Northern Virginia is Route 28, especially the section between Manassas City and Route 66,” Nohe says.
The transportation authority allocates new transportation dollars that come out of the General Assembly.
Route 28 passes through several jurisdictions — Manassas City, Manassas Park, Prince William, Fairfax and Fauquier — and it’s tough to get officials from the different areas on the same page, which is why state transportation officials are involved.
Among other things, the study examines best ways to solve the congestion dilemma.
However, Nohe says, simply throwing money at the problem won’t work. It might also be tough to widen the road, since so many homes and businesses would be affected.
“We’re going to need a lot of community input,” Nohe says, adding that people “just want to know that something is going to happen.”
In the end, though, “we want to make sure that whatever we do provides the maximum congestion relief,” Nohe says. “By having the right kind of analysis done, we’ll be able to identify the alternative that works best toward both of those goals.”
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