Tri-County Parkway Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

A Tri-County Parkway Location and Environmental Impact Statement Study was conducted between 2002 and 2005 to determine the best location for a new north-south corridor.

Although technical studies showed the Tri-County Parkway alignment that appears on local comprehensive plans best met the documented purpose and need, the fact that the federal government stated that federal funding might not be available due to the environmental impacts of going through the far eastern corridor of Bull Run Regional Park (not the Manassas Battlefield Park) and various “political factors” caused the Commonwealth Transportation Board to designate the Bi-County Parkway as the “locally preferred alternative.” Again, the Tri-County Parkway alignment remains on local plans and could be constructed as a public-private partnership without using federal funds.

A federal Record of Decision for the Bi-County Parkway has been delayed for years, primarily due to negotiations with the National Park Service related to the Manassas Battlefield Bypass of which portions of the Bi-County and Tri-County Parkways serve as the eastern and western components respectively. The Park Service is supportive of the Bi-County Parkway due to the fact that it would take north-south traffic on Route 234 Business out of the Battlefield.