Fredericksburg Adjusts Parking For Start Of Park Construction

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Construction crews are scheduled to begin work on the new Riverfront Park project along the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg in late February or early March, according to the city. Last November, the Fredericksburg City Council awarded a contract for construction of the long-awaited 3.6-acre park project to Athena Construction of Triangle.

Prior to the start of construction, the entire park property will need to be fenced, leading to a loss of public parking spots. The city plans to implement changes to parking rules in the area in response to the elimination of parking areas.

The public parking lot in the 700 block of Sophia Street and the parking area accessed across Sophia Street from Charlotte Street will be closed as part of the project. The specific date of the closure of the parking areas in Riverfront Park will be announced by mid-February.

Due to the loss of these parking areas, the city will increase the period of time that vehicles can park on the east (river) side of Sophia Street —from Wolfe Street to just south of George Street —from two hours to four hours during the periods that time restrictions apply to downtown streets. Time restrictions apply to downtown streets from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

The city also plans to convert the surface parking lot in the 600 block of Sophia Street — between Sophia Street and the river, directly across the street from the Sophia Street Parking Garage —to public parking. However, only vehicles displaying a City of Fredericksburg resident decal can park in the lot Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. The resident decals can be obtained at the Treasurer's Office at City Hall by providing proof of city residency.

Vehicles will be allowed to park in the Sophia Street Parking Garage for four hours, instead of the current three-hour limit, at no cost. The rate for additional hours will remain the same: $1 per hour to a maximum of $8 per day.

Riverfront Park, which will be built on a tract of land between Sophia Street and the Rappahannock River and Hanover and Wolfe streets, is expected to open by early 2021. The park will include children's play areas, an interactive water feature and other amenities.