Stafford supervisors agree to rescope Garrison Road, redirect funds to wedge widening and near-term projects

Stafford County staff presented a biannual transportation update and recommended rescoping the Garrison Road widening project so the county can pay for targeted, lower-cost improvements and apply freed local funds to other high-priority projects.

Matt, a county staff member who led the briefing, told the Board of Supervisors the county has about $100 million in local funds and roughly $129 million in grant funding in its current active program, and that “there are no decisions that need to be made tonight” but staff sought board direction on several funding and scope choices. He recommended a smaller, $20 million rescoped Garrison project—$10 million local matched with $10 million in VDOT revenue-sharing—and said a rescoped approach would free up money for other work. “We recommend the board rethink the project's efficiency,” Matt said, describing a focus on turn lanes, medians, sidewalks and intersection fixes rather than full widening.

Why this matters: staff said the original Garrison Road phase 1 estimate rose as high as $100 million and scored poorly in the most recent SmartScale round; rescoping would allow the county to apply local funds to additional SmartScale or VDOT revenue-sharing applications and to advance wedge‑widening and other safety projects that staff characterized as lower-cost but highly effective.

Details from the presentation and board discussion

- Phase 1 and active program: staff described roughly $57 million in construction work scheduled to begin or already under way this summer (listed projects include Burrier/Brier Church Road, Route 1/Courthouse Road at Bells Hill, and Stackboro Boulevard sidewalks), about $168 million in projects entering engineering, and a multi‑project Phase 3 that represents more than $1 billion in longer-term recommendations.

- Funding math: staff reported approximately $100 million in local funds applied to 15 active transportation projects and $129 million in grant funding overall (about 44 percent local share). Staff said a mix of decisions and additional grants could shift up to $15 million more into grant funding next year in a best-case scenario. For Garrison Road specifically staff said rescoping would “free up $31,500,000 in local funding” and would leave about $20,000,000 available in the transportation fund for other projects.

- Grants and programs: staff briefed the board on SmartScale (state scoring for major projects), VDOT revenue sharing (50/50 matching program, $5 million available per locality per year), TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program for sidewalks/bikeways, typically 20% local match), CMAQ, and federal programs including Safe Streets for All and a tentative PROTECT grant for Brook Road. Staff said the county received no new SmartScale awards this round and that funding availability is lower statewide.

- Recommended reallocation and board direction: after extended discussion supervisors agreed in principle to a staff plan that would leave a rescoped $20 million Garrison project (with $10 million local and $10 million anticipated revenue‑sharing match) and move about $21.5 million of local funding into other county priorities. Board members voiced support for splitting that reallocated amount between the county’s wedge‑widening program (the board coalesced around using roughly $8–9 million to pursue the top wedge projects) and targeted SmartScale/revenue‑share opportunities and studies for high‑priority corridors (examples discussed included Route 1 Forest & Woods Drive, Warrenton Road and Mine Road). Decisions on exact allocations and scopes were left to follow‑up staff work and future board packets.

- Network and planning direction: supervisors asked staff to return with scopes and cost estimates for additional planning work on the county’s Western network and the Northwest widenings (projects identified in the county master plan as longer‑range priorities). Staff said those studies would be scoped and brought back for board consideration.

- Sidewalks and bicycle/pedestrian projects: staff described an active TAP pipeline (35 master‑plan sidewalk/bikeway projects, two already in design) and recommended applying for available TAP and revenue‑share cycles. The board discussed several candidate sidewalk projects (Kings Highway/Chatham Heights, Barrett Heights, Mine Road gaps, Belmont Ferry Farm Trail) and asked staff to prioritize options that connect to schools and safe‑route needs.

What the board did and did not do

- Discussion vs. decision: the meeting produced consensus direction rather than a formal recorded vote. Supervisors collectively signaled support to rescope Garrison Road to a smaller targeted‑improvement project, to keep local match on that smaller scope, and to reallocate a portion of the freed local funds toward wedge widening and other prioritized projects. Board members also asked staff to return with scopes, cost estimates and grant‑application plans for SmartScale, VDOT revenue sharing and TAP cycles.

- No ordinances, no contract awards or formal bond actions were adopted at the work session; staff emphasized most recommendations would return to the board with detailed scopes and possible budget actions later.

Context and next steps

Staff defined the presentation as informational and told the board it would prepare scopes and cost estimates for the rescoped Garrison project and for studies of the Western and Northwest networks, plus candidate SmartScale and revenue‑sharing applications. Staff also said the county will continue current engineering and right‑of‑way work on fully funded Phase 1 projects and will update the board on federal grant agreements (including PROTECT and Safe Streets for All) as federal approvals and agreements progress.

In closing the presentation, staff asked for board direction on which projects to prioritize in the next revenue‑sharing and TAP cycles and pledged to return with draft scopes and budget implications before any formal reallocation of bond or transportation funds.