HUNGRY FOR MORE TROPHIES The Battlefield boys soccer team looks ready for a long playoff run. Page 11
May 23, 2018 | Serving Haymarket, Gainesville and Western Prince William County | Vol. 17, No. 21 | www.PrinceWilliamTimes.com | 50¢
Nohe: State funding likely for Va. 28 bypass By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
It won’t be official for a few more weeks, but additional state funding is likely coming to move forward with plans to construct a $190 million bypass for one of Northern Virginia’s most congested roadways: Va. 28 through Manassas. A project to build a bypass to Va. 28 by extending Godwin Drive has become the “preferred alternative” for getting traffic moving again on the 3.5-mile stretch of roadway between Liberia Avenue and the Fairfax County line. That’s where traffic routinely slows to just 6 miles an
hour during the morning and late-afternoon rush hours. In back-to-back studies that began in 2014, transportation planners identified possible fixes for the road, ranging from widening the highway from four to six lanes or by extending Godwin Drive, which currently ends at Sudley Road, or Va. 234 Business, just east of the Manassas Mall. The latter option proved the cheapest at an estimated $190 million. The bypass is envisioned to cut through about 4 miles of mostly undeveloped land behind West Gate and West Gate of Lomond neighborhoods and along Flat Branch
creek, a tributary of Bull Run. The road would then cross over Bull Run on a new bridge and rejoin Va. 28 at the other side of the Fairfax County line. The project is among more than 60 vying for about $2.5 billion in regional tax revenue to be doled out by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority for projects over the next six years. The NVTA is in the process of choosing projects for 2018 through 2024, which will be finalized June 14. The NVTA is made up of elected officials from nine Northern Virginia jurisdictions, including
Prince William Department of Transportation Director Rick Canizales, center, discusses the Godwin Drive extension and other projects with attendees of a May 17 town hall meeting in Manassas. Prince William and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. See 28 BYPASS, Page 5
Lake Ridge hub has struggled since the recession, but is making a comeback
Shuttered for a decade, lakeside restaurant returns to Tackett’s Mill
By Aileen M. Streng Contributing Writer
With its “crown jewel” restaurant on its lakeside ready to reopen, Tackett’s Mill is back in business. Tackett’s Mill Center, located at the gateway of Lake Ridge at Old Bridge and Minnieville roads, was one of Prince William County’s earliest commercial and residential hubs. The center is known for its two large ponds, quaint covered bridge and Williamsburg-style townhomes and office buildings. It got its start in 1983 when the working remains of the historic Tackett’s Mill grist mill, originally located in Stafford County, were moved to Prince William by Ridge Development Corporation, which had a vision for the then-undeveloped 60 acres of land south of the Occoquan Reservoir.
COURTESY TACKETT’S MILL CENTER
Lakeside Café and Grill is slated to open soon in Tackett’s Mill in Lake Ridge. With the lakeside restaurant space filled, Tackett’s Mill is just about fully leased. INSIDE Calendar...............................................7 Classifieds...........................................15 News....................................................3
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