On November 15, 2013, Gov. Bob McDonnell and Prince William County officials joined 95 Express Lanes project partners and residents of the nearby Southbridge Community to recognize the restoration improvements to Swan’s Creek, a badly eroded stream in Dumfries. The $1.5 million environmental effort is the largest stream restoration project ever completed in Prince William County.
Beginning in January 2013, the 95 Express Lanes project 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, once deemed “the worst stream in the county” by Prince William County officials, is now feeding higher-quality water into the region's waterways.
The event consistent of remarks by Gov. McDonnell, Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors Corey Stewart, Prince William Potomac District Supervisor Maureen Caddigan, and representatives from VDOT and Transurban-Fluor. The event concluded with a ribbon cutting and a planting ceremony for the site’s final Dogwood tree, led by Gov. McDonnell. As part of the stream restoration effort, nearly 7,500 new trees and shrubs were planted near Swan's Creek.
The Swan's Creek stream restoration effort 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.
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The 95 Express Lanes are 60 percent complete and are scheduled to open to traffic in early 2015.