The Route 1 & 208 Corridor Study is necessary to identify improvements to address the capacity issues raised by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on Route 1 in the I-95 Exit 126 Interchange Justification Report (IJR). FHWA rejected the IJR in part because of the capacity limitations on Route 1.

The plan to conduct the corridor study was adopted in the August 2016 Comprehensive Plan Thoroughfare Plan update. In September 2016, the Board adopted a resolution to move forward with the corridor study as a Revenue Sharing project. Funding to begin implementation of the study recommendations was previously approved and budgeted and the study will provide support for future Smart Scale funding applications.

The corridor study under this Task Order will be a comprehensive evaluation of Route 1 & 208 by including all modes of transportation to account for the growth in the area and improve the mobility and safety of all road users.  It will examine opportunities for accommodating future growth, addressing current traffic congestion and mobility, and potential opportunities to improve safety.  It will seek opportunities to maximize alternate modes of transportation and provide more efficient routes for local circulation.  The study will also include the evaluation of a possible roadway connection between Germanna Point Dr. and Spotsylvania Ave., which requires crossing Massaponax Creek. The County is seeking a feasibility study of this crossing/connection to evaluate the impacts on traffic in the area.

Specifically, the study will assess the potential for reducing congestion of Route 1, and it will provide conceptual plans, cost estimates, and environmental assessments. This roadway connection and the multimodal considerations in the corridor study have the potential to link the communities north and south of Massaponax Creek (including Germanna Community College, Spotsylvania Regional Hospital, etc.) through both vehicular and non-vehicular modes, which should reduce traffic on surrounding roadways.

In addition to the new roadway connection, the study will also focus on Routes 1 and 208 within the context of the broader land corridor bounded by two limited access roadways, I-95 (to the east), and Route 17 (to the south). The study will also consider the impacts of the improvements proposed in the Smart Scale applications for “I-95 Exit 126, Route 1 Southbound onto Southpoint Parkway” and the intersection of “Courthouse Road & Hood Drive Improvements”. Both applications are approved by VDOT and expected to be funded around June 2017.

A total of nine (9) intersections identified by the County will be included in the corridor study, as follows:  Rte. 17 and Germanna Point Dr.; Spotsylvania Ave. and Market St.; Rte. 1 and Market St.; Spotsylvania Ave. and Mine Rd. (recently improved); Rte. 1 and Mine Rd/Hood Dr.; Rte. 208 and Hood Dr. (Smart Scale application approved); Rte. 208 and Southpoint Pkwy/Rollingwood Dr.; Rte. 1/Jefferson Davis Hwy and Rte. 208-Courthouse Rd/Lafayette Blvd; Lafayette Blvd. and Falcon Dr./Mall Dr.

Edward Petrovitch, Deputy County Administrator

Wanda Parrish, Director of Planning

The Task Order is signed by vendor and County Attorney’s Office and is attached.  This Task Order is in compliance with current Contract #15-03-12-01 for engineering design services for transportation improvement projects, previously approved by the Board.

County departments have utilized Task Order based agreements for the last several years. Task Order based agreements allow for increased efficiencies in terms of time and value to the tax payer.  Procurement policy is followed in all task order based agreements and task orders valued at $100,000 and greater are presented to the Board of Supervisors for approval.

On March 27, 2017 staff provided a BOS communication outlining the procurement process for professional engineering services.  While engineering services cannot be procured on a simple cost basis, our current competitive process for procuring professional engineering services ensures the receipt of quality services from experienced contractors, while providing multiple opportunities for County staff to negotiate costs.