The February 3, 2026 agenda of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) includes a transfer of $3.9 million in proffer funds from the Rivergate/Viridium development for construction of a bike/pedestrian bridge over Route 1.
Future bridge will provide a connection from the new North Woodbridge Riverside Crossing development to the existing Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station.. Total cost of the bridge was estimated in 2023 at $12.5 million.
Still unclear is where the bike/pedestrian bridge will be located. Project design is due to be completed in Summer 2026.
Illustration of the project for the February 3 meeting shows the new bridge connecting directly to the existing bridge over the railroad tracks to the VRE station. That was also true on p.14 of the July 20, 2022 staff report (see above).
That location, preferred by county staff, would create a walkable community with easy access to the multi-mobility hub planned at the VRE station. There will be 11 round-trip Amtrak Trains and 14 round-trip VRE Trains (40 stops per day) during Monday-Friday in 2031, once the Long Bridge project is complete. Currently there are 28 stops/day.
However, there are engineering challenges to connect directly to the existing bridge. In addition, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) traditionally does not agree to maintain bridges unless they are completely on VDOT right-of-way.
County staff might end up endorsing a different location with the bridge at the intersection of Occoquan Road/Route 1. If placed there, 900 people living in Riverside Crossing and others in the new town center would have to go up and down two sets of steps. An unconnected bridge could add extra cost (or eliminate elevators) and might invite some daredevil pedestrians to cut straight across Route 1 traffic.
The Woodbridge Small Area Plan proposes a 50-mile Woodbridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Loop with a Route 1 crossing at Occoquan Road. No bridge to the VRE station was identified in the “Planned Regional Trails Connection” map (see p.100).
A bridge at the Occoquan Road/Route 1 intersection – rather than connecting directly to the existing VRE bridge – is shown in the Master Zoning Plan (Sheet C200 in the February 20, 2023 Approved Plan) and on the Riverside Crossing website:
