A quick update on the Charlottesville Western Bypass and DC Outer Beltway
Transportation Solutions
As high gas prices, traffic congestion, strain on the state budget and concerns about pollution prompt widespread calls for change, PEC supports a new transportation vision for Virginia.
Our Alternative — Rethinking the Bi-County Parkway
Our proposal, detailed in the report Rethinking the Bi-County Parkway, focuses on fixing east-west routes for commuters, it provides lower impact local road fixes and connections to help local residents, it preserves the Rural Crescent and Transition Area, and could allow for the roads to be closed through the Battlefield (although it’s not clear that would ultimately be necessary, due to the reduced traffic that would result from implementing the alternatives we’ve suggested).
Summer Update on the Outer Beltway
VDOT is pushing to create a new major highway in Northern Virginia referred to (among other names) as the Outer Beltway. PEC’s take? This mega-highway would cut through a National Park, open up over 100,000 acres to residential development, and has the potential to actually increase traffic congestion on I-66 and Rt. 50. The good news is—after years of trying to get more press coverage and citizen engagement on the issue—we may have reached a turning point.
Opposition to the Outer Beltway Picking Up
Over the past two years we’ve been writing (and sometimes jumping up and down) about the McDonnell Administration’s prioritization of the multi-billion dollar DC Outer Beltway project. It’s been difficult, however, to get press coverage or widespread citizen engagement, because the project has seemed remote. But that changed this past December, when VDOT finally put a line on the map.
Since then, citizen opposition to the project has mounted. At the end of April, six legislators from Northern Virginia announced their opposition to the project. This Tuesday, Congressman Wolf sent a letter to Governor McDonnell expressing “serious reservations.” This text is from an email alert sent out on May 16th.
The Problem with the Outer Beltway
The Outer Beltway, and its component parts the Bi-County Parkway and 6-laned Northstar Blvd, is a bad deal for the residents of Prince William and Loudoun County. It’s also a bad deal for people who live in counties and cities to the east and west, as well as Virginia taxpayers as a whole.
Impacts and links to VDOT presentations
Transportation infrastructure is critical to our region and our economy, and yet funding for existing and new roads is limited. PEC and our partners have consistently called for a "Fix it first" approach to ensure that repair and enhancements to existing roads and transit are prioritized. Recently President Obama also sounded the call for the same focus.
What You Can Do
Yes, this project is being pushed by powerful forces, but there is still time to put up a fight. Many of the residents in the proposed route are unaware of VDOT’s plans (or have just learned about it) and have not had a chance to share their thoughts with legislators. Wasteful road projects have been defeated before, but only through citizens speaking up.
Outer Beltway: How will it impact you?
As we mentioned earlier this month, there is a lot going on with the planned “Outer Beltway” — a major new highway going through Loudoun and Prince William. Which is why I would like to invite you to a community meeting on Monday, February 11th in Aldie.
New Year, Familiar Problem
We continue to believe this is the most important land use decision that will be made in northern Virginia in the next 5 years. The Outer Beltway would open up ~100,000 acres of relatively open land in eastern Loudoun and the Prince William "rural crescent" to development, cut through a National Park, make investments in metro and transit-oriented development more difficult to fund, and at the end of the day, is very likely to make traffic on east-to-west roads like Rt. 50 and Rt. 66 even worse. This text is from a January 6th Email alert.
Future Of The Silver Line
Extending rail service to Loudoun County is about more than transportation. WAMU host Kojo Nnamdi explores the political and societal aspects of the Silver Line (with commentary by PEC President, Chris Miller).