'Game-Changer' Commuter Garage Project Ready for Public Comment

WOODBRIDGE, VA — The Prince William County Department of Transportation is hosting a public information meeting Dec. 11 for residents to learn about the upcoming project to build a 1,400-space commuter parking garage on county-owned property at 2502 Opitz Boulevard in Woodbridge.

People who attend the meeting will have the opportunity to see project exhibits, discuss tentative project schedules, meet with Prince William County elected officials and transportation representatives, and provide input on what is called the Potomac-Neabsco Commuter Parking Garage Project. Construction on the garage set to begin in April 2021, with a completion date set for April 2023.

"We're anticipating that we will have a full, topographical view of the parcel, where exactly the garage will be located and types of access,” Dagmawie Shikurye, the Prince William County project manager overseeing the garage project, said in a statement.

As currently planned, the $36.5 million commuter garage project will have three access points: off River Rock Way, Bridge View Drive and Potomac Center Boulevard. The access points and other aspects of the project, Shikurye said, could be subject to change, since the project will be a design-build process, meaning the design and construction will closely coincide.

The seven-level garage will have nearly twice as many spaces as the county's largest, 726-space, commuter park-and-ride lot at Telegraph Road. "This is really going to be a game changer for Prince William County. We're going to have bus stops that access OmniRide, as well as kiss-and-ride and slug lines. Being able to remove that much traffic will just alleviate a lot of pressure from the corridor,” Shikurye said.

The meeting will be held at Freedom High School, 15201 Neabsco Mills Road in Woodbridge, between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

Written and verbal comments about the project will be accepted at the meeting. People who cannot attend the meeting can email Shikurye at DShikurye@pwcgov.org, or mail comments to the attention of Dagmawie Shikurye, Prince William County Department of Transportation, 5 County Complex Court, Woodbridge Va. 22192. Comments must be received by Jan. 14, 2020.

Details of the project files will be available here as they are updated.