Poplar Road Safety Improvements

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Poplar Road is a two-lane, north-south state road (SR-616) that serves the western part of Stafford County north of Fredericksburg, Virginia. The road is mostly used by local residents for intracounty travel that avoids Interstate traffic on I-95. Segments of Poplar Road required reconstruction to improve safety and drainage and bring the design up to current Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) standards. Phase I included shoulder widenings, drainage and safety improvements from Poplar Road's southern terminus at Warrenton Road (Route 17) near Fredericksburg to 0.17 mile north of Truslow Road. Phases II continued reconstruction for another 0.6 mile north to Cedar Crest Lane. The total distance of Phases I and II is approximately 1.2 miles. The county completed Phases I and II in March 2016. Funding for Phase I came from the Central West Impact Fee Area Fund created by the county in 2003 to collect fees from developers to fund needed infrastructure improvements. Phase II funding derives from a 2008 Transportation Bond Referendum. Fifty percent of Phase II was reimbursed by the VDOT Revenue Sharing Program. A third phase will reconstruct the Poplar Road/Cedar Hill Lane intersection and construct new ditches for improved stormwater collection and treatment, some six miles to the north of Phases I and II. The 2008 Transportation Bond Referendum is also the source of funding for Phase III, which is currently in procurement.

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