Tri-County Parkway
(Last Updated June 2012)
Alliance Position:
Construct on the three-county master plan allignment.
Project Description:
Since the late 1980's the Tri-County Parkway has been planned as a secondary road much like the Fairfax County Parkway. Its alignment runs from the Prince William County Parkway/Route 234 Bypass west of Manassas near Godwin Drive, north through the northwestern sector of Fairfax County and southeastern Loudoun County to the Loudoun County Parkway, in essence linking the Manassas area in Prince William County to Washington Dulles International Airport and Route 7 in Loudoun County.
This alignment has appeared on the Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Comprehensive Plans since the early 1990s.
Current Status:
On May 18, 2011 the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted to create a new Northern Virginia North-South Corridor of Statewide Significance (CoSS) connecting Route 7 in Loudoun County with I-95 and Route 1 in Prince William County. The corridor will consist of a range of multi-modal options, including the long-planned Bi-County and Tri-County Parkways.By its actions the Commonwealth Transportation Board has scored an important victory for responsible, multi-modal planning, improved mobility, economic sustainability and the Washington Dulles International Airport.
Although the Tri-County Parkway remains on local comprehensive plans and is in many ways a superior connection with Dulles Airport and closer in Loudoun employment centers, the Commonwealth of Virginia has decided to make the Bi-County Parkway its most immediate priority.
For more information and the Bi-County Parkway, click here.
Background:
The original purpose and need for the Parkway included:
• Linking existing and planned communities in Northern Virginia’s three most populous counties.
• Providing an alternative to and diverting traffic from Route 28 between Manassas and I-66.
• Diverting traffic from Route 234 Business to a more efficient link to I-66.
• Providing an alternative to and reducing cut-through traffic on Braddock, Pleasant Valley and Bull Run Post Office Roads in Fairfax County destined for eastbound I-66.
• Providing a north-south alternative to Route 28 west of Dulles airport.
Tri-County Parkway Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
A Tri-County Parkway Location and Environmental Impact Statement Study was conducted between 2002 and 2005 to determine the best location for a new north-south corridor.
Although technical studies showed the Tri-County Parkway alignment that appears on local comprehensive plans best met the documented purpose and need, the fact that the federal government stated that federal funding might not be available due to the the environmental impacts of going through the far eastern corridor of Bull Run Regional Park (not the Manassas Battlefield Park) and various “political factors” caused the Commonwealth Transportation Board to designate the Bi-County Parkway as the “locally preferred alternative.” Again, the Tri-County Parkway alignment remains on local plans and could be constructed as a public private partnership without using federal funds.
A federal Record of Decision for the Bi-County Parkway has been delayed for years, primarily due to negotiations with the National Park Service related to the Manassas Battlefield Bypass of which portions of the Bi-County and Tri-County Parkways serve as the eastern and western components respectively.
To learn more about the Tri-County Parkway, click on the links below:
Tri-County Parkway Location Study
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
Comprehensive Plan Alignment
The following links are to summaries as to why the Tri-County Comprehensive Plan alignment rejected by the CTB was for many reasons a better choice.
Comprehensive Plan Alignment Tests Best
Comprehensive Plan Alignment Advantages/Benefits
Comprehensive Plan Alignment Costs/Why CPA is Best Investment
Other Considerations/DEIS Deficiencies
Public Support, Government Actions, Next Steps
For more information on