Everything You Need to Know (and more!) about the Downtown Streets Study

In November, the City of Fredericksburg released the results of a year-long transportation study that explores major potential changes to Downtown Fredericksburg’s traffic network. This study was pursued to evaluate and implement recommendations adopted in the comprehensive plan to improve safety downtown, and demonstrates the City’s willingness to consider best practices as successfully implemented elsewhere in the state and country. 

The potential changes, if implemented, would be the most significant change to Downtown’s street grid in over 50 years. Here are the three main topics that are covered in the Study:

• • The reversion of selected 1-way, 2 lane “boulevard” pairs back into 2 way streets, as they existed from Fredericksburg’s establishment until roughly 1970
  • The extension of several protected pathways into Downtown
  • The improvement of intersections to ensure safer and more efficient movement for drivers, bikers and pedestrians alike.

City Councilors and staff are currently taking public feedback on the recommendations in the study. Next, City staff will develop a conceptual design for review and confirmation by City Council in time for the approval of the City’s annual budget in Spring 2025.

There is a LOT to unpack in this study, which you can read for yourself in full by clicking here and here. We did the hard work to help answer some questions you may be asking.

Why are we doing this? What is the City hoping to accomplish?

In the 1960s and ‘70s, City leaders converted portions of Caroline, Princess Anne, William and Amelia Streets from two-way streets into one-way pairs to facilitate through-traffic and reduce congestion downtown. This new system enabled drivers to pass and avoid slowdowns at intersections, helping through-traffic navigate the City at high speeds. Over the following decades, highway bypasses around the City were built and expanded, allowing for drivers traveling between suburban destinations to circumnavigate the City Center and eliminating the need for high-capacity streets downtown. But the one-way streets have remained, creating a friendly environment for speeding thru-traffic and a louder and more dangerous environment for everyone else.

In recent years, Downtown has flourished with economic activity built largely around foot traffic. In 2020, City Council supported this vision by unanimously adopting the Area 7 Small Area Plan, which proposes to “improve pedestrian safety and preserve the character of Downtown by slowing traffic particularly in residential areas, and to improve accessibility to homes and businesses” by pursuing the following:

• • “Evaluate the conversion of portions of the one-way Princess Anne Street and Caroline Street and Amelia Street and William Street pairs to two-way traffic”
  • “Expand the off-street shared path network by constructing the Bankside Trail and the Dixon Park Connector”
  • “Prioritize the human scale by expanding bicycle and pedestrian corridors, increasing pedestrian streetscapes and nodes, and facilitating the East Coast Greenway for bicycles across the Chatham Bridge and through Downtown”
  • “Evaluate the potential for an expanded network of bicycle boulevards on City streets and where feasible, design and construct improvements”

The Downtown Streets Study is the next step in this deliberative, iterative and democratic process. Let’s explore how the Study evaluates which of these proposals are feasible to implement.

What Area is being Studied?

The study evaluates the conversion of the following street segments into two-way streets…

• • Princess Anne Street and Caroline Street north of Amelia Street
  • Princess Anne Street and Caroline Street south of Lafayette Boulevard
  • William Street and Amelia Street east of Washington Avenue

… and the following selected bike & pedestrian improvements:

• • A protected path between the Bankside Trail and the Heritage Trail along Sophia and Caroline Streets, and
  • A “Dixon Park Connector” to establish a bike & pedestrian pathway between Dixon Park and the Virginia Central Railway (VCR) Trail near the train station, and
  • On-street bike connections between the VCR and Canal Path along Prince Edward Street
  • On-street bike connections between the Bankside Trail and the University of Mary Washington along Lewis, Fauquier and Cornell Streets

What were the Study’s Findings?

The Study, which was prepared by the consultant Timmons Group in collaboration with the City’s Planning and Public Works staff, presents a number of findings and recommended actions for Downtown Fredericksburg’s traffic network:

Finding #1: Our Downtown streets have excess lane capacity. We can use that space to calm traffic, improve navigability and enhance connectivity.

Importantly, the Study finds that switching portions of Caroline, Princess Anne, William and Amelia Streets from 2 lanes to 1 lane of traffic in each direction will not worsen traffic congestion Downtown over a 10-year time horizon. In fact, the Study suggests that a new traffic configuration may actually reduce wait times if the street changes are paired with other improvements such as optimized stoplight timing and the replacement of certain lights with all-way stops. By allowing vehicle flow to disperse more evenly over multiple routes, two-way traffic allows vehicles more options instead of diverting them into limited “bottleneck” areas.

Two-way traffic has become a best practice in many cities because it actively calms speeding cars, as drivers instinctively slow down when confronted with oncoming traffic. Two-way traffic also prohibits passing, which slows all traffic down to the speed of the slowest car. Two way streets allow for flexible and direct routes, meaning easier access to local businesses and neighborhoods and faster emergency response times. Additionally, they improve public transit efficiency by optimizing the placement of bus stops.

Finding #2: Downtown is the “Missing Link” in our Pathways network. We can complete it.

The Virginia Central Railway (VCR) Trail, Canal Path/Heritage Trail Loop, Chatham Bridge Path and the future Bankside Trail all feed into Downtown, but stop short of directly connecting to one-another. Instead, the system relies on Shared Bike Lanes a.k.a. “Sharrows” – a non-protected street designation. This disconnects runners and bikers from important public assets such as the Train Station and Riverfront Park, and leaves Downtown as the missing link in our pathway system. The Study recommends that selected sections of excess traffic lanes can be repurposed as protected shared-use pathways to accommodate cyclists and runners:

• • The Sophia Street Path is a protected on-street pathway that would connect the Heritage Trail to the future Bankside Trail and Riverfront Park along north Sophia and Caroline Streets
  • The Caroline Street Path is a protected on-street pathway that would connect the Bankside Trail to the Dixon Park Connector adjacent to the Train Station along south Caroline Street

Finding #3: Our intersections are stuck in the 20th Century. We can modernize them.

The study finds that the vast majority of Downtown crashes involving drivers, bikers and pedestrians occur at intersections. Many safety issues are the result of engineering standards that prioritize the movement of through-traffic over safety and quality of life for street users. The Study recommends the following improvements to improve their safety and performance:

• • Converting selected stoplights to all-way stop signs at William & Prince Edward, Amelia & Prince Edward and Washington & Amelia would calm traffic, make vehicle flow more orderly and save taxpayers money on future maintenance.
  • Curb extensions (a.k.a. bump-outs) extend the sidewalk to physically narrow intersections, forcing drivers to slow down as they approach and turn corners. They improve safety by reducing speeding, improving visibility and reducing the amount of asphalt that pedestrians must cross. When well designed, they can free up more space on the sidewalk for foot traffic and urban amenities like landscaping and public seating.
  • Automatic Walk Symbol would eliminate “Beg Buttons” and instead automatically provide a Walk symbol on every stoplight interval.
  • Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) gives pedestrians their walk signal 3 seconds before the adjacent vehicle lane gets their green light. This gives pedestrians a brief head start before vehicles receive a green light, allowing pedestrians to establish themselves in the crosswalk first.
  • Improved street lighting helps drivers, cyclists and pedestrians navigate intersections more safely at nighttime and during inclement weather.

Are there trade-offs?

Of course. All major changes require trade-offs. Here are three questions that some people may be asking about this proposal, and why we think the juice is still worth the squeeze.

1. 1. Two-way traffic is a big change. Has the City done anything like this before? Yes. In 2022, the City converted Washington Avenue, Fall Hill Avenue and Maury Streets in the Canal Quarter from 2-lane, 1-way streets into two-way streets, following recommendations from the Area 6 Small Area Plan. Fred15 supported this effort, which was implemented as part of the routine repaving of these streets. Since the streets became two-way, neighborhood residents have reported slower traffic, improved safety and less confusion among drivers in the school zone and beyond. In conjunction with new automated School Zone speed enforcement cameras at James Monroe, this two-way conversion is already helping to reduce speeding and make our school zones safer.
   2. How would deliveries work? The Study proposes to address loading and deliveries in two ways. First, central Caroline Street (between Amelia and Lafayette), would remain in its current form as a 1-way, 2-lane street. Second, the study recommends the establishment of nine small curbside loading zones along business-heavy corridors without rear alleys, like William Street between Sophia and Douglas. Loading zones can be strategically limited to certain hours to free up more parking spaces for the general public, like overnight and during peak hours. And while a new traffic pattern Downtown would require some businesses to adapt their deliveries, it is important to recognize that the current system—which involves delivery trucks double-parking haphazardly in traffic lanes—is dangerous and chaotic in its own right.
   3. What is the effect on parking? While none of the Study’s recommendations would result in an overall loss in the number of street parking spaces, existing spaces in certain areas could be lost for the establishment of loading zones. However, the loss of these spaces would be offset by eliminating turn lanes elsewhere in the Study area, resulting in no change in the number of parking spaces.

What are the Next Steps in the Downtown Streets Study Process?

In December, the City released a web survey to gather feedback on the Study. The survey closed on December 31. Here are the next steps for this process:

• • January-March 2025: City Planning staff and City Council develop final recommendations for Downtown Streets design and implementation
  • March-May 2025: City staff prepare project cost estimates and integrate into City Manager’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget
  • May 2025: City Council approves the FY26 City Budget including 5-year funding allocation for Downtown Streets improvements

How can I make my voice heard?

Stay tuned for updates about future meetings. City leadership wants to hear your feedback on the Downtown Streets Study. To make your voice heard, submit your feedback TODAY on the Study to City leadership by contacting them by email or phone. If you send an email, include the following 5 recipients on your email:

1. 1. 1. Planning Staff (planning@fredericksburgva.gov)
      2. Your Ward City Councilor (if you don’t know who it is, you can use the City Council roster and the Ward map)
      3. Mayor Kerry Devine (kpdevine@fredericksburgva.gov)
      4. At-large City Councilor Jannan Holmes (jwholmes@fredericksburgva.gov)
      5. At-large City Councilor Will Mackintosh (wbmackintosh@fredericksburgva.gov)