The Congresswoman Worked Directly with Spotsylvania County Officials and Community Leaders to Deliver Funding for Local Infrastructure & Job Center Improvements

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger yesterday joined Spotsylvania County officials and community leaders to celebrate the federal funding successfully secured for local projects as part of a U.S. House and U.S. Senate-passed fiscal year (FY)2024 appropriations bill. The major investments in these community-requested projects total more than $4.8 million that is now headed to Virginia’s Seventh District.

Spanberger worked directly with Spotsylvania County leaders and members of the Bay Consortium Workforce Development Board to solicit these requests, move these projects forward, and ensure they were included in the final package. These investments will help relieve congestion along I-95 and U.S. Route 1, construct an upgraded water tower to serve area residents, and build a more accessible environment for employment services at the American Job Center in Fredericksburg.

“I’ve been proud to bring federal resources home to address the unique needs of the communities I serve. County officials and local leaders brought me a vision of how targeted, smart investments could make a much-needed difference in their communities, and these Virginians worked directly with my office to get these projects across the finish line,” said Spanberger. “The federal dollars we are delivering for Spotsylvania County and the American Job Center will help keep Virginians safe on the road, make sure our physical infrastructure can keep up with growing demand, and move our Commonwealth forward. I’m excited to see these investments make a real difference in Spotsylvania County and for Virginians across the region.”

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY

Spanberger secured $4,116,279 for Spotsylvania County to provide safety and capacity improvements to the I-95/Route 1 Exit 126 interchange area. This investment will help construct a dual left turn from Route 1 northbound to I-95 northbound, widen the I-95 northbound onramp to two lanes, build an approximately 1,500-foot acceleration lane continuing for the onramp, and make additional improvements to Route 1 southbound through the Exit 126 interchange. Additionally, these investments will improve access from I-95 to the future Fredericksburg Veterans Affairs’ Health Care Clinic, which will provide much-needed care to Virginia Veterans.

The Congresswoman also secured $500,000 to design and construct a new 1-million-gallon water tower to replace the existing 250,000-gallon tank. As the Massaponax and Thornburg areas of Spotsylvania County and the surrounding areas continue to experience consistent population growth, this project will increase capacity, help serve growing residential and commercial demands, and provide more fire flow duration.

FREDERICKSBURG-AREA JOB CENTER

Spanberger secured $200,000 for the Bay Consortium Workforce Development Board to modernize the American Job Center in Fredericksburg and bring the facility up to ADA standards. This investment will allow the center — which provides employment resources to job seekers in the Fredericksburg region — to outfit the lobby, resource room, and conference room with ADA-compliant workstations and provide high-speed internet access for both job seekers and staff.

BACKGROUND

For FY2024, the U.S. House of Representatives allowed for specific Community Project Funding requests — as it did in FY2023. Spanberger worked directly with community leaders in localities across Virginia’s Seventh District to gather community-focused requests for her submissions. Click here for the full list of her submissions.

The Community Project Funding process was created to ensure that Members of Congress — in concert with the communities they represent — may submit direct applications for federal funding to support locally planned projects as part of the yearly appropriations process.

To be eligible, projects must be sponsored by local or state government entities or non-profit organizations and must be projects that would otherwise meet the qualifications to apply for federal grant funding. The purpose of Community Project Funding is to ensure direct, local engagement as part of the federal appropriations process. In line with this goal, funding applications needed to demonstrate significant local support for the projects.

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