This article appeared in the Fall 2009 Piedmont View (7MB).

29 North in Albemarle County.

The Rt. 29 corridor north of Charlottesville serves as Albemarle County's "Main Street" for shopping, homes, jobs, schools and parks. Unfortunately, traveling almost anywhere in this corridor -- which was developed on a car-dominated, suburban model -- requires driving. And most of these vehicle trips rely on a single arterial -- Rt. 29 -- with the result that traffic is straining the road.

Not counting turn lanes, Rt. 29 is now eight lanes at its widest point, but it still gets jammed at rush hours. Drivers get frustrated, and some are fed up with the road altogether, convinced that a bypass is necessary to fix the congestion.

But VDOT studies show that the proposed Western Bypass wouldn't improve local traffic. On Rt. 29 north of Charlottesville, only 12% of vehicles are making through trips, 24% are moving short distances on that section of road, and the other 64% are travelling within the Charlottesville area. A bypass would cost $250-300 million, which is an expensive way to solve 12% of a problem.

Fortunately, in the past several years Albemarle and Charlottesville have worked with VDOT and transportation consultants to develop solutions that don't require the prohibitively expensive Western Bypass, that can be implemented as funds become available, and that will actually improve traffic.

PEC supports these smart local solutions, but we also recognize that the future of the Rt. 29 corridor depends on planning processes underway at the state and federal levels. So, on July 13, PEC hosted a forum in Charlottesville called "The Route 29 Solution." The forum was moderated by Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth -- PEC's partner organization in the D.C. area. Speakers at the forum addressed the importance of coordinating local, state and federal policies to achieve the best solution for Rt. 29.

Local Plans: Smart Growth Solutions
The Proposed Western Bypass would only bypass about 5.7 miles -- cutting through Albemarle's Rural Area just west of Charlottesville before dumping traffic back on Rt. 29 at the southern entrance to Forest Lakes -- south of the growing Hollymead Town Center, the approved North Pointe development, the UVA research park and numerous associated traffic lights.

And, according to VDOT's findings, traffic on the bypassed section of Rt. 29 would not improve.

Alternative local plans propose a network of parallel roads that would create options for local traffic -- including walking, biking and transit options -- and take pressure off the highway. These local solutions link transportation planning with overall community planning in order to promote smart growth.

The mission statement for Albemarle County's draft Places29 plan reads: Albemarle County's four Northern Development Areas will feature compact development consisting of residential and employment neighborhoods that are organized around centers. These neighborhoods and their centers will be pedestrian-oriented and mixed-use; they will offer a variety of housing choices, retail environments, office types, and employment opportunities. They will be connected by an attractive, efficient, and accessible multimodal transportation system. Integrated into this urban-style development, parks and open spaces will provide a sense of respite and contribute to an overall excellent quality of life.

The Rt. 29-Hydraulic Road-Rt 250 Bypass (29-H-250) study adopted by the City, which is compatible with Places29, calls for "additional local-serving roadways parallel to US-29 for connectivity among land uses in the county and city."

While the city has already approved 29-H-250, Places29 still requires approval to become part of the Albemarle County Comprehensive Plan. Places29 will be the subject of public hearings that begin this fall, with a final decision expected in the spring. PEC encourages local citizens to participate and to support adoption of Places29.

State Plans: Pressure for a Bypass
Albemarle and Charlottesville have made clear that they prefer a parallel road network to a bypass. But, as VDOT conducts a statewide study of the Rt. 29 corridor, localities further south, including Lynchburg and Danville, are pushing for the proposed Western Bypass, whether the local community wants one or not. Speakers at the forum emphasized the importance of convincing decision-makers throughout the state that Places29 offers a viable solution to congestion on Charlottesville area roads.

Federal Plans: Follow the Money
Nothing will get built without money, and as Mr. Schwartz pointed out, "Right now the only money for transportation is at the federal level." This means that a shift in federal transportation priorities could be key to the future of Rt. 29.

Congress is preparing to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Act, which will appropriate between $300-600 billion for transportation over the next six years. National transportation policy, with its dated emphasis on highway construction, has barely changed since the 1950s, but now a nationwide coalition is pushing to transform it (see box). At the forum, Mr. Schwartz advocated: "No new funding without reform."

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is active in Transportation for America, a campaign to reorient federal policy to promote world-class public transportation and include options for walking and biking. Under such a framework, the local solutions would be well-qualified for funding.

While Places29 does not necessarily rule out future consideration of a bypass, the single-solution bypass competes for sparse funding with multiple improvements called for in local plans. At the forum, Harrison Rue, the former director of Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, pointed out that one advantage of Places29 is that the plan can be implemented one piece at a time, as funds come available. Because Places29 does more to solve congestion and because it supports other community goals, Mr. Rue said it would give taxpayers "more bang for the buck."

"No New Funding without Reform"
The Transportation for America campaign sets the following goals for federal transportation policy:
- Reduce traffic crashes by 50%
- Reduce vehicle miles traveled per capita by 16%
- Triple walking, biking transit and rail usage
- Increase the proportion of freight transportation by rail by 20%
- Reduce CO2 emissions from transportation by 40%

www.t4america.org

Who is the Coalition for Smarter Growth?
The Coalition for Smarter Growth is PEC's partner in the D.C. area -- the leading organization addressing where and how the Washington region grows, partnering with communities in planning for the future, and offering solutions to the interconnected challenges of housing, transportation, energy and the environment.