From FAMPO:
The Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) has published the draft Transit report of an ongoing Planning study titled, “The Intraregional Multimodal East-West Mobility Study.” The study aims to identify solutions to moving people and goods along East-West corridors in
the region to compliment improvements to I-95, the VRE & Amtrak rail corridor, the replacement to the Harry Nice Bridge, as well as some upgrades to US Route 1 that moves people from North to South.
The FAMPO study has identified a set of potential improvements to address east-west mobility and the Transit report lays out these proposed improvements for the public to comment on. The Transit report proposes the following improvements to aid mobility:
1. A corridor-based Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route,
2. A future “downtown” Stafford Transit Center,
3. A shared use path (SUP) for bicyclists and pedestrians connecting to the Brooke Road VRE
Station and
4. A shared use path (SUP) for bicyclists and pedestrians connecting to the Spotsylvania VRE
Station.
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy defines a BRT as “a high-quality bus-based transit system that delivers fast, comfortable, and cost-effective services at metro-level capacities. It does this through the provision of dedicated lanes, with busways and iconic stations typically aligned to
the center of the road, off-board fare collection, and fast and frequent operations.” The Transit report recommends a “lite” version of BRT, as it will not require all of these elements within the Fredericksburg region. The Federal Highway Administration defines SUP as “facilities on exclusive right-of-way with
minimal cross flow by motor vehicles. Shared use paths are sometimes referred to as trails; however, in many states the term trail means an un-improved recreational facility.”
The route for the initial phase of the recommended BRT Lite will begin at the Old Salem Church Road park-and-ride in Spotsylvania County, run along Rt 3 to the Spotsylvania Towne Centre through Central Park, and will end at the downtown Fredericksburg Train Station. It will include stops at shopping
destinations, the Mary Washington Hospital, the University of Mary Washington, and downtown Fredericksburg. A later phase of the recommended bus route will extend further to the Gordon Road park-and-ride to continue on the same route as the initial phase.
The second aspect of the Phase II Transit report consists of a downtown Stafford Transit Center. The new Transit Center would include bus arrival information, interior waiting area, restrooms, parking, and six bus bays to allow connections between Fredericksburg Regional Transit (FXBGO!) buses and future commuter buses.
The third aspect of the transit study includes two new shared use paths (SUP) that will provide connections to the Spotsylvania VRE Station and the Brooke Rd VRE Station in Stafford County. The first SUP offers two connections to Spotsylvania: to Benchmark Rd/Tidewater Trail, and Germanna
Community College. The second SUP will connect the Brooke Rd VRE Station to downtown Stafford.
The East-West Mobility Study Transit report is now available for the public to comment on. For detailed information, please visit https://www.fampo.gwregion.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/09/7_a.4.220906_FAMPO_EastWest_DRAFT-Final_Clean.pdf. To provide your
input on the Transit Report, please click the survey link here: https://forms.office.com/r/niJ1mfX7bj
