FREDERICKSBURG FREE LANCE-STAR

President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law legislation that designated millions of dollars for the Fredericksburg region.

Federal funding for 14 projects in several Virginia localities was sponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives by 7th District U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger.

“The investments total more than $12.2 million for infrastructure, transportation, public safety, and accessibility needs in Virginia’s Seventh District,” Spanberger’s office said last week in a statement.

Spanberger worked with local officials to secure the federal funds for projects in Fredericksburg as well as Stafford and Spotsylvania counties locally. Other localities receiving federal funds include Culpeper and Prince William counties.

Fredericksburg receives $200,000 to help get the American Job Center facility compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Proposed improvements to the center also include high-speed internet.

Spotsylvania is on tap to get $4.1 million for road projects and another half million dollars to help pay for a new water tower.

The county plans to build a 1 million-gallon water tank to replace a smaller water tower for the Massaponax and Thornburg areas. The new funds are in addition to $3 million the congresswoman helped secure in fiscal 2023, according to the statement.

The road projects are focused on the northbound Interstate 95 and U.S. 1 interchange, with plans calling for additional turn lanes and ramp widening.

Stafford is in line to receive more than $1.7 million in the federal infrastructure funds.

The bulk of the funding is slated for widening and realignment along with other improvements along a section of Onville Road. The improvements are expected to ease traffic congestion to and from the U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico.

The county also gets $500,000 for improvements on U.S. 1 near Courthouse Road. The improvements include widening the highway so dedicated left-turn lanes can be added to intersections at Courthouse Road, Bells Hill Road and Hope Road. The project also calls for the addition of a concrete median and sidewalks.

Another $246,000 is targeted for a computerized dispatch system for the Stafford Sheriff’s Office.