Majority Disagree With Route 28 Bypass Cancellation In Patch Survey

MANASSAS, VA — A majority of respondents in a Manassas Patch survey disagreed with the cancellation of the Route 28 Bypass project, which was viewed as a way to address congestion on the key commuter route.

Nearly 150 readers responded to the survey between midday Friday, Feb. 7 and Wednesday, Feb. 12. Readers were able to provide their initial reactions to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors cancelling the project last week.

The survey was circulated to Manassas and Manassas Park Patch readers, as those cities are located along the congested stretch of Route 28. In the survey, 38.9 percent of respondents said they travel daily on Route 28, 28.5 percent travel on it at least several times a week, 20.1 percent do several times a month and 9.7 percent do several times a year. The survey is non-scientific and is only intended to gauge reader sentiment.

According to the survey results, 65.3 percent of respondents disagreed with the project cancellation. Another 25 percent were in support of cancelling the bypass, and 9.7 percent were unsure.

SEE ALSO:

• Route 28 Bypass Project Ended By Prince William County Supervisors
• Manassas Council Members React To Prince William County's Route 28 Bypass Cancellation

Readers sounded off on why they supported or opposed the bypass project. Some noted that the road hasn't been brought up to date with population growth from development.

"We have to find a solution to the traffic. It’s terrible," one reader said. "It will be even more expensive for alternative options and it will be at least 10 years before any project is completed."

"The decision was rash and ill considered, lacking in moral reasoning," another reader said. "It disregarded the quality of life interests and needs of hundreds of thousands of families. The impact on the very few families who would've been adversely affected could have been mitigated through generous relocation assistance.

Another reader noted return-to-office plans add strains on roads.

"For commuters headed back and forth to I-66 or Dulles areas it is a serious problem and will get much worse when Trump totally eliminates all working from home," a reader said. "It will be total gridlock costing jobs, money, and our environment. Do not give up on seeking a solution."

Those opposed to the project cited the displacement of homes and businesses on the bypass route as well as environmental impacts and cost.

"Plowing down affordable neighborhoods to make someone's commute faster by five minutes should never be considered," a reader wrote.

"The route 28 bypass was the most expensive, the highest impact to both the environment AND at risk communities," another reader shared. "Furthermore, it only created a bypass around the city and simply moved the bottle neck further down 28."

"Too many homes would need to be torn down & there is no feasible way for the bypass to have any positive outcome without Fairfax County onboard," added another reader.

When asked what solutions they want to relieve congestion on Route 28, some reiterated support for the bypass.

Other ideas offered were:

• Extend Metro (Orange Line to Centreville or Manassas)
• More public transportation
• Road widening
• Dedicated turn lanes
• A Prince William Parkway tie-in with Loudoun County Parkway to move Route 28 traffic going west and south
• Parallel lanes for local traffic only
• Limiting new construction, more overpasses and alternate routes
• Intersection improvements, widening of Route 28 and investments in Yorkshire
• Add extra lanes on 28 from the City of Manassas Park to the Fairfax County line
• Move bypass path where it doesn't impact as many homes
• A better north-south parkway/pike that connects Route 28 with Dumfries Road (Route 234)
• Fix small gaps in the local street grid to disperse some traffic from parts of Route 28
• Establish the route of a future Route 28 corridor busway
• Upgrade Virginia Railway Express from peak-period commuter rail into a two-way, 16+ hour/day rail transit service
• Widening route 28 to match the Fairfax side would help since that is where the bottleneck occurs
• Intersection improvements, traffic light timing, more and better jobs in Prince William County
• Allowing more people to work from home