I-66 Widening Wastes Taxpayer Dollars – Just Moves the Bottlenecks
For Immediate Release:
May 21, 2010
Contact
Stewart Schwartz
703-599-6437 (cell)
I-66 Widening Wastes Taxpayer Dollars -- Just Moves the Bottlenecks
Ignores More Effective Short, Medium and Long-Term Alternatives
Governor McDonnell announced a first contract for expanding I-66 inside the Beltway -- $10.8 million.
"We all want an effective solution to I-66 traffic, but it makes no sense to spend our scarce tax dollars without honestly and objectively 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." 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."
On a final note regarding the claim that this short stretch of widening is needed for DC's evacuation, most experts would say that rapid evacuation of the city using cars would be nearly impossible. The need is remote, and a different approach using Metro and fleets of public and private buses would probably work more effectively.
###
