WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Prince William County officials say they hope a series of multimillion-dollar construction projects to widen U.S. Route 1 will improve pedestrian safety and also completely revitalize the 7-mile stretch from the Fairfax/Prince William border to Cardinal Drive.
The five construction projects currently underway are designed to expand the road from four lanes to six at a cost of $290 million, said Woodbridge Supervisor Frank Principi, who sits on the Prince William County board of supervisors.
The widening includes a landscape median in the middle, a sidewalk on one side and an asphalt trail on the other.
Reducing pedestrian deaths is a driving force for the Route 1 improvements, Principi said. “We’ve experienced 15 pedestrian fatalities since I’ve been in office since 2008,” he said.
The widening projects also aim to improve traffic flow.
County officials hope the projects provide a whole different look and feel for the Route 1 corridor from its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s.
“In addition to improving the quality of life and the traffic flow and pedestrian safety, this is a complete transformation of the Route 1 corridor through Woodbridge,” Principi said.
All utilities along the 7-mile stretch are being buried underground and 57 blighted buildings have been razed, he said.
The five widening projects are expected to wrap up in 2021.
Principi told WTOP the board of supervisors is trying to locate funding to widen Route 1 from Cardinal Drive to Route 23, which is also known as Dumfries Road.
