Stream restoration and tree planting effort benefiting local community completed. Governor Bob McDonnell and Prince William County officials attend ribbon cutting ceremony.
Governor Bob McDonnell joined the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Federal Highway Administration and its 95 Express Lanes partners, Transurban and Fluor, at a ribbon cutting ceremony today marking the completion of a $1.5 million stream and tree restoration effort benefiting Swan's Creek and the surrounding Southbridge Community in Prince William County. The Governor also was joined by Prince William County officials and neighboring residents as he recognized the largest stream restoration project ever completed in Prince William County - an initiative made possible by the 95 Express Lanes Project.
Beginning in January 2013, the 95 Express Lanes team restored Swan's Creek - a tributary to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay - by installing erosion and sediment controls, placing stone along the creek bed, and micro-grading to allow for habitats and improvements to the overall water quality. The stream, which was identified more than seven years ago by Prince William County officials as severely eroded and degraded, is now feeding higher-quality water into the region's waterways.
In addition, nearly 7,500 new trees and shrubs were planted near Swan's Creek as part of the stream restoration effort. As part of today's event, officials planted the site's final dogwood tree.
The Swan's Creek stream restoration project was funded and implemented by the 95 Express Lanes Project as part of its environmental permit commitments. Project leaders worked with Prince William County to determine their highest stream improvement priority, resulting in the restoration of Swan's Creek. The stream restoration project was built by the 95 Express Lanes' design-build contractor, Fluor-Lane 95, LLC, using local small and disadvantaged contractors from Angler Environmental, Wetland Studies and Solutions, and Empire Landscaping, LLC.
The 29-mile 95 Express Lanes Project is being built in the median of I-95 and involves converting the existing HOV system to an Express Lanes system. The project includes a 14-mile expansion between Prince William Parkway to Edsall Road on I-395 and nine-mile extension from Dumfries to Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to alleviate the bottleneck where the HOV lanes end today. The lanes are 60% complete and are scheduled to open to traffic in early 2015.
back to News & Views