We Can’t Afford to Ignore More Effective and Less Costly Alternatives for I-66
COALITION FOR SMARTER GROWTH
Press Release
For Immediate Release: Contact:
February 23, 2009 Stewart Schwartz, 703-599-6437 (cell)
We Can’t Afford to Ignore More Effective and Less Costly Alternatives for I-66
Coalition for Smarter Growth Urges Fairfax and Regional Officials to Stick with Regional Decision to Require Analysis of Alternatives for I-66
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is meeting today and may discuss VDOT's plan to widen sections of I-66 inside the Beltway in Arlington. This action comes after VDOT admitted it had not studied alternatives as requested by elected officials (including those from Fairfax) on the regional Transportation Planning Board (TPB). In fact, Arlington County, local residents and the members of the state legislative delegation have called for such an analysis for several years now. Last week the TPB, with support from Fairfax Supervisors, voted against including VDOT’s I-66 project in the regional construction plan until completion and evaluation of the long-called-for alternatives study.
“We all want an effective solution to I-66 traffic, but it makes no sense to spend our scarce tax dollars without fully evaluating alternative and less costly approaches, but that’s what VDOT has done here,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “VDOT’s proposed ‘spot improvements’ will only move the bottlenecks, without addressing the underlying problem.” The new bottlenecks will force additional widening up to the entire length of the roadway, including the Rosslyn tunnel and Roosevelt Bridge at tremendous expense. The DC end of the highway is also not equipped to absorb even more cars into the city that would generated by an expanded highway.
Schwartz continued: “In this time of fiscal stress, we need more cost effective approaches ignored by VDOT, including relatively quick measures such as going from HOV-2 to HOV-3, to requiring HOV in both directions during rush hour. Both would cost far less than the $30 million short segment widening.” Additional express bus service tied to HOV would further expand person-trip capacity and the opening of Dulles Rail along with redesign of Tysons Corner will divert large numbers of trips from the highway.
We also have to address the fundamental underlying causes of the growth in traffic on I-66. Growth in I-66 traffic is caused by inadequate transit and failure to focus jobs at transit in the suburbs. Many commuters would love to take transit to but can't because of the inaccessible scattering of office buildings. That's why it is so important to focus jobs at the new Dulles Rail stations and to redesign Tysons Corner into a vibrant, mixed-use, and walkable transit community.
”We can’t afford VDOT’s piecemeal, costly, widen-forever approach to transportation,” said Schwartz. “Less costly operational improvements, demand reduction solutions, and linking transit and development are essential if we are going to use our scarce infrastructure dollars wisely.”
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