The problem of congestion on Va. Route 28 through Prince William County has been a challenge for decades. On Tuesday, the Board of County Supervisors will discuss whether to move forward with plans to widen Route 28 from Liberia Avenue, in Manassas, to the Fairfax County line.
Last year, the board voted to cancel the Route 28 bypass project and reimburse the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority for nearly $7.5 million in funds for the project, which the board initially greenlit in 2019.
However, the project hit a standstill over cost issues, and disputes over the planned path through dozens of homes located in Bull Run Mobile Home Park and the disagreement with Fairfax County over where the bypass would reconnect with Route 28.
According to agenda documents for Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting, the supervisors will discuss whether they want to move forward with widening Route 28, known as Centreville Road, from 4 to 6 lanes between Liberia Avenue, in the city of Manassas, and the Fairfax County line, just north of Bull Run.
The stretch of Route 28 being considered for widening runs approximately 2.5 miles.
Among the challenges identified in the document by Rick Canizales, the county’s director of transportation, are limited right of way and property impacts. With hundreds of standalone businesses, as well as office parks and strip malls, the major commuter route is fully built-out.
In addition, widening the roadway would require relocating major utility lines as well as the development of jurisdictional agreements with VDOT, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park, and Fairfax County.
Fairfax County has widened Route 28 to 6 lanes, which feed the recently configured Route 66 interchanges.
The cost of the proposed project and how it would be paid for remains unclear. According to Canizales, the last estimate was $400 million, in 2020. Voters authorized $200 million as part of the 2019 Mobility Referendum, which included the option to construct the bypass or widen Route 28.
The presentation from the county’s transportation director seeks direction from the board on four questions:
- Should staff continue to move project forward?
- Will bonds be utilized to fund project?
- What funding will be used to pay the debt-financing of the project?
- Should VDOT continue working on preliminary engineering/designs to move this project forward?
Future study by VDOT would require planning and design to widen the current four-lane bridge over Bull Run.
In a separate project to improve travel along Route 28, Va. State Senator Danica Roem’s plan to fund road improvements that include innovative intersection designs, a raised median and a 1.75 mile-long sidewalk between Manassas in the Yorkshire area of Prince William County continues to move forward.
According to VDOT, right of way acquisition is expected to begin this fall, with construction anticipated to start in fall 2028.
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