Staff pitches incremental, lower‑cost Route 37 alternatives in Eastern Frederick County study

Assistant Planning Director John Bishop and McCormick Taylor consultant Alexandra Castracini presented the Eastern Frederick County Transportation Study, which reevaluates earlier Route 37 plans and models alternatives intended to be more attainable and less costly than a full limited‑access bypass. Bishop told the commission staff seeks questions and guidance on how the study should be incorporated into the comprehensive plan and on which segments provide independent utility.

The study examined past EIS work, VDOT regional modeling and public engagement results and produced four principal solution sets: (1) a new two‑lane controlled‑access roadway between Route 7 and Route 11 that the model shows could carry about 18,000 daily trips and divert thousands from Route 7; (2) targeted upgrades including three‑laning of key local corridors such as Senseny/Cincinnati Road; (3) a combination of two‑ and four‑lane connections tying Exit 310/Warrior Drive toward Route 522 with staged 4‑lane sections where modeling justifies it; and (4) targeted widening of Airport Road to share load. Bishop emphasized the importance of access control to prevent the corridor from becoming a conventional local road with many curb cuts.

Commissioners and staff discussed model inputs (Weldon Cooper population/employment projections and county land‑use allocation), the tradeoffs between at‑grade controlled access vs. limited‑access design, right‑of‑way acquisition challenges and potential staging to preserve the option to expand segments in the future. The study found that some high‑cost elements (notably a loop around Stonewall Industrial Park that requires complex interchange work) provide limited modeled benefit and therefore rank lower for near‑term pursuit.

Several commissioners and local residents at the meeting said they prefer a pragmatic, incremental approach and asked staff to preserve alignments and seek funding tools (for example, a right‑of‑way fund or grant strategies) to capture corridors as opportunities arise. Bishop said staff will package commission feedback to present to the board and recommended further work on access management strategies and grantable projects that reflect the study’s prioritized segments.

The commission offered generally favorable feedback but requested additional detail on costs, phasing, and how the analysis should affect the county’s primary road improvement priorities and grant applications. Staff noted the study’s planning‑level cost estimates were prepared with VDOT input but would require more detailed engineering before grant submittal.