Updated: Commuter parking to expand

Enforcement campaign begins April 11

STAFFORD — Three upcoming projects will add up to 3,000 new parking spaces for commuters in the Fredericksburg area, according to Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton.

Connaughton made the announcement March 31 at a Staffordboro Road commuter lot off Garrisonville Road in North Stafford, where 1,000 new spaces are expected. The lot is where design work on one of the projects will take place this spring. A construction completion date will be available by late spring, according to Connaughton.

Two other locations for spaces are planned, the first being at the intersection of Gordon Road and Route 3 in Spotsylvania County. There, design work will begin in 2012 on parking expansion for about 1,000 parking spots. Construction is expected in 2017.

The multi-million dollar initiative will meet overwhelming demand along the Interstate 95 corridor, according to Connaughton.

Connaughton also announced the Commonwealth will provide funding to design a new Virginia Railway Express station in Spotsylvania, with 1,000 parking spaces for commuters.

“Commuting to work is hard enough without worrying about whether you will find a parking space to meet your bus, carpool, vanpool or train,” said Connaughton. “This investment will bring peace of mind to the hard-working residents of the Fredericksburg area, who seek to reduce congestion by sharing a ride.”

At the Staffordboro commuter lot location, more than 1,600 parking spaces currently exist. At Gordon Road, there are 600.

“We have waited long enough to expand the number of commuter parking spaces at these locations, so close to I-95. There simply is insufficient capacity to meet the desire on the part of Fredericksburg area residents to carpool and ride the VRE — saving them time and money,” said Commonwealth Transportation Board member Cord Sterling, who represents VDOT’s Fredericksburg District.

The investment, Sterling said, will promote free-flowing traffic on Interstate 95.

It’ll come at a time when “additional workers will be traveling to Northern Virginia military facilities as part of the BRAC process, and our population continues to increase as workers are drawn to professional opportunities and the quality of life in Virginia,” he said.

Sterling thanked Gov. Bob McDonnell and Connaughton for “helping to make this happen.”

Parking Enforcement Campaign
In other commuter news, a special parking enforcement campaign will begin April 11 in two of Stafford’s commuter lots — on Staffordboro Boulevard and Mine Road in North Stafford.

The effort stems from numerous complaints from hazardous and illegal parking in and around both commuter lots, according to Virginia State Police Sgt. Keith Hairston.

Vehicles found illegally parked will receive a notice on the vehicle, and a parking ticket will be issued and mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner. The vehicles will be towed from the lot at the owner’s expense, according to the state police.

Additional commuter parking space is available at other lots in the Fredericksburg area, including lots at Courthouse Road and U.S. 17 in Stafford County, state police said.

Tracy Bell is managing editor of the Stafford County Sun. Reach her at tbell@insidenova.com.