Stafford supervisors signal preference for Option C in Rappahannock River crossing study amid grid and cost concerns

FAMPO staff presented a multi‑jurisdiction study of options to build a new Rappahannock River crossing west of Interstate 95 at the Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting on May 27, 2025, and several supervisors signaled a preliminary preference for “Option C” while stressing the need to pair any bridge with surrounding road improvements and to resolve funding and environmental issues before construction.

The study, begun after a 2022 east‑west mobility assessment, evaluates five broad corridor alternatives and aims to produce a locally preferred alternative that VDOT would later refine through the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process. FAMPO staff said the study looks at travel‑demand data, environmental screening, public input and cumulative rankings prepared by consultant Michael Baker; the consultant’s top ranked choice was one of the B alternatives, but staff and advisory committees recommended A and C as implementable options.

Why it matters: there are few crossings west of I‑95, creating long detours when the interstate is blocked. FAMPO staff showed trip‑origin/destination data indicating heavy travel between Southern Stafford (north of U.S. 17) and Central Park/Spotsylvania/Fredericksburg. The study notes that roughly 40–41 miles of corridor exist without an adequate west‑of‑I‑95 crossing, and that a new crossing would add multimodal…