Category: News

The I-66 deal is more like an armistice than a peace treaty for commuters

The I-66 deal is more like an armistice than a peace treaty for commuters

Posted on by Veronica Miniello

It’s a big deal, but not a done deal. For commuters, the compromise between Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and the General Assembly on the future of one of America’s most controversial highways will be meaningful only when things start to happen on I-66.

Feuding over I-66 was inevitable. People have been battling for decades over whether it should exist, who should use it and how big it should be. And it isn’t going to stop just because some people in Richmond shake hands.

Robert Thomson is The Washington Post’s “Dr. Gridlock.” He answers travelers’ questions, listens to their complaints and shares their pain on the roads, trains and buses in the Washington region.

Once the governor made his announcement Wednesday morning, interested parties inundated us with their takes on the deal. Proponents and opponents of tolling and widening were unavoidable for comment.

It was only natural. All those years of feuding have made I-66 more than just a way for people to get to and from work. I-66 is a symbol of opposing visions about how people should travel and where they should live.

Nothing about the deal changed the underlying hopes and resentments. We’ll see that during the Virginia Department of Transportation hearings in March on the design of the high-occupancy toll lanes for I-66 inside the Capital Beltway. Nothing about the schedule for creating the HOT lanes in mid-2017 changed as a result of the Richmond deal.

What did change was that the governor agreed to widen the highway at the same time, and without preconditions, but the widening plan still needs to go through the standard environmental review process. So we’re going to see the advocacy groups again on that, and they will be joined by the people who live right along the route who want to protect their interests.

The four-mile widening targets the most problematic part of I-66 during rush hours eastbound. If you’re going to put new asphalt anywhere, do it between the Dulles Connector Road and Ballston, the stretch where masses of vehicles come together and maneuver to be in their best lanes.

The goal of the HOT lanes and of the widening project is to add capacity to the highway. It just depends on how you define “capacity.” The extreme faction for widening defines capacity strictly as more lane space. They mean capacity for more cars. The HOT lanes advocates, on the other hand, talk about more people-moving capacity. You can do that with fewer cars, by managing traffic, making it easier to carpool and adding commuter buses.

Advocates for widening reacted more positively to the governor’s announcement.

“This compromise solution will relieve congestion by adding much needed highway and transit capacity to the region’s most congested transportation corridor sooner, rather than later,” said a statement from the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance. “This is an excellent example of executive-legislative, bipartisan cooperation to advance the greater public good.”

State Sens. J. Chapman “Chap” Petersen (D-Fairfax), Jennifer T. Wexton (D-Loudoun) and Jeremy McPike (D-Prince William) — all representing Northern Virginia districts outside the Beltway — issued a collective statement saying in part that, “For years, our constituents have faced an impenetrable wall of traffic where I-66 meets the Dulles Toll Road and then drops down to two travel lanes. This area is a tangible barrier that has historically inhibited outside-the-Beltway drivers from traveling to Arlington or the District of Columbia.”

Those who gave top billing to the car alternatives contained in the HOT lanes plan were less enthusiastic. “We are deeply disappointed by legislators of both parties,” read the collective response of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Southern Environmental Law Center. The groups acknowledged that the governor made a political compromise that preserved the HOT lanes plan, with its out-of-the-car options, but added, “We urge legislators to understand that an economically successful region like ours cannot build our way out of congestion through highway expansion.”

None of those people will stop caring about I-66. And then, there are the commuters, the people who will actually determine what happens along the interstate. Leaving aside transportation ideology, people studying the I-66 problem don’t profess to being dead certain about what’s going to happen.

The variable toll is supposed to regulate traffic flow, but it will take a while to get the rates right. The hours for tolling or free HOV use will be 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. eastbound and 3 to 7 p.m. westbound, so will we see early and late traffic surges at the edges of those times?

Millions of dollars will be spent to develop the carpool and commuter bus options, but will travelers use them?

Will the widening, supposed to be done by the end of 2019, give the long-distance commuters what they want? No matter how wide the interstate is, it’s still going to be open only to those who meet the high-occupancy vehicle rules or pay the toll.

This is why no transportation plan is ever really done. You make a decision, see what happens, then you tinker. I-66 inside the Beltway is only nine miles long, but it’s a never-ending story.

Photo courtesy of Matt McClain. Click here to read the original story.

Terry McAuliffe is mastering the art of making deals

Posted on by Veronica Miniello

For the second time in as many weeks, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has compromised with Republican legislators in ways that have angered progressives who supported him in his election campaign.

On Jan. 28, McAuliffe brokered a deal with GOP legislators that would overturn Attorney General Mark Herring’s (D) decree canceling Virginia’s reciprocity in recognizing permits from 25 states that allow guns to be carried and concealed.

On Feb. 10, he bucked Arlington County, smart-growth advocates and environmentalists by funding the widening of Interstate 66 eastbound for four miles inside the Beltway from the Dulles Connector Road to Ballston.

The deal would keep dynamic tolls on the road for motorists driving eastbound during rush hour and would provide $140 million in state funds for road widening.

A bipartisan group of legislators, including state senators Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax, Loudoun), Jill Vogel (R-Fauquier), Richard Black (R-Loudoun, Prince William), Jeremy McPike (D-Prince William County, Manassas) and Jennifer Wexton (D-Fairfax, Loudoun) and delegates Michael Webert (R-Fauquier) and David Bulova (D-Fairfax), had lobbied for a compromise to decongest traffic on one of the Metro area’s busiest commuter highways.

Tolls will begin in 2017 with widening completed by 2019.

Arlington County and various activists groups had wanted to delay the widening, which has been opposed for years, until data resulting from tolls, HOV records and other transit forms could be studied.

“A lot of progressives are upset,” says Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, who notes that the deal came through after outside-the-Beltway Republicans and some outside-the-Beltway Democrats sought to undo it through legislation banning tolls inside the Beltway and pressing for immediate widening.

Schwartz and Arlington officials have argued that simply widening overburdened roads is a short-lived solution since the extra pavement quickly fills up with more cars from more development that always seems to pop up.

Some Republicans have been pushing to skip tolls on the section of I-66 in question altogether but the McAuliffe deal nixes that idea.

The issues of gun control and highway widening are obviously separate but they do show a turn for McAuliffe. He spent his early years as governor locked in stubborn battles with leading Republican legislators. The key and still unresolved battle has been over expanding Medicaid coverage to 400,000 underserved Virginians.

Suddenly, it seems, McAuliffe is pulling one deal after the other out of his hat. In doing so, he’s been angering groups who had backed him.

He’s already alienated many environmentalists for backing offshore petroleum drilling and endorsing Dominion Resources’ controversial plans to build a $5 billion natural gas pipeline through some of the state’s most verdant countryside.

One wonders who’s next?

Photo courtesy of Steve Helber/Associated Press. Click here to read the original story.

Deal To Widen I-66 Will Bring Tolls And Construction At The Same Time

Posted on by Veronica Miniello

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe campaigned in 2013 as a dealmaker who could work with Democrats and Republicans, and he says he’s delivering on that promise through another compromise with lawmakers — this time on the thorny transportation issue of widening Interstate 66.

When lawmakers arrived here at the state Capitol, they were already deadlocked with the Democratic governorabout the future I-66. McAuliffe wanted to toll first and potentially widen later. Lawmakers wanted to widen first and toll later. So the governor struck a deal: Start tolling and construction of new lanes at the same time.

“We have waited for 30 years for improvements on I-66 and now together in a bipartisan way we have an action plan that will commence immediately and this should all be completed by 2020,” says McAuliffe. “You know, having lived in Northern Virginia for 25 years and taking 66, it’s a parking lot. Let’s be clear. We needed to do something about it.”

The agreement calls for an environmental assessment this year to start widening eastbound I-66 from the Dulles Connector Road to Ballston. Construction will start in 2017, and the new lane will be open to traffic in 2019. Construction will take place in the existing right-of-way, which means no homes will need to be taken with eminent domain. In some places, the highway already cuts close to backyards.

“This bipartisan agreement will ease congestion and stimulate economic growth that will benefit the entire Commonwealth,” said Sen. Emmett Hanger (R-24). “I am proud of the way in which leaders of both parties and both branches of government were able to sit down and find a way forward on this important project.”

It’s the second historic deal for McAuliffe in 2016. Last month Democrats and Republicans reached a compromiseon gun safety issues.

‘This is an accommodation to TransUrban’

Not everyone is along for the ride. Criticism of the plan started just as soon as the governor was announcing it at a press conference in Richmond. Del. Bob Marshall (R-13) and his wife appeared in the back of the room with a sign denouncing $17-a-day tolls on I-66. After the governor finished, Marshall explained to a gaggle of reporters that he believed the compromise would be a sweetheart deal for the Australian company that landed the contract to operate the I-495’s express lanes.

“This is an accommodation to TransUrban, which wants Lexus lane riders to be able to have a single person in the car to be able to drive from Haymarket or Manassas all the way to D.C,” says Marshall.

Leaders across Northern Virginia are divided on the deal. Arlington County Board Chairwoman Libby Garvey says she’s disappointed that the possibility of multimodal solutions were being abandoned in favor of widening the road for more cars. But Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Sharon Bulova praised the deal, saying it’s in line with the county’s position on widening and tolling.

Stewart Schwartz at the Coalition for Smarter Growth says he’s disappointed.

“This guarantees the widening,” says Schwartz. “There’s no prior test to determine if it’s still necessary. It means we have to spend $122 million upfront that we would not have to necessarily spend before.”

 Photo courtesy of Michael Pope. Click here to read the original story.
McAuliffe announces deal on I-66 HOT lanes that would speed up highway widening

McAuliffe announces deal on I-66 HOT lanes that would speed up highway widening

Posted on by Veronica Miniello

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) announced Wednesday morning that he has agreed to speed up the widening of Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway as a compromise with state legislators who were opposed to imposing tolls on those nine miles of highway before an expansion.

The deal is the latest significant compromise McAuliffe has reached with the Republican-controlled General Assembly, following an agreement on gun regulations announced in January, and it already is drawing strong reaction from supporters and opponents.

The I-66 deal shortcuts the McAuliffe administration’s plan to create high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes in 2017, study their performance in managing traffic, then decide whether the interstate should be widened. The governor’s original plan called for financing the any widening through the toll revenues. Under the deal announced Wednesday, the cost of the widening will be financed through the state budget. The widening will occur along four miles in the eastbound direction between the Dulles Connector and Ballston, the zone where traffic is heaviest. The budget revisions will allow for a cost up to about $140 million, state transportation officials said.

The deal anticipates that the General Assembly would kill legislation that would have blocked tolling before widening. That includes House Bill 1, sponsored by Del. Jim LeMunyon (R), whose district includes parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

What’s left in place: The HOT lanes still are scheduled to open inside the Beltway in the middle of 2017. Under an agreement with the state, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission will pick a set of programs designed to help I-66 commuters leave their cars behind and allocate some of the toll revenue to those programs. The programs would be in effect before the widening is completed, which should be by 2020. The HOV2 standard for carpooling will remain in effect till 2020. HOV2 drivers can ride free in the HOT lanes. Hybrid car drivers, who today have an exemption from the HOV2 rules and can drive solo in the carpool lanes, will have to pay a toll once the HOT lanes are in place or pick up a passenger for the free ride.

The key difference in the new plan is that the widening will occur years before it would have under the original version, and the widening will proceed without any study period to measure the impact the HOT lanes have on traffic. The new lane could open by the fall of 2019, Deputy Transportation Secretary Nick Donohue said.

Transportation officials said the deal also removes some of the doubts about whether the state’s plan to create HOT lanes between Haymarket and the Beltway could proceed. Transportation officials had warned that this bigger project could become impractical and too expensive if the project inside the Beltway were to be blocked through legislation.

“This is a comprehensive solution,” Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne said of the governor’s deal with General Assembly leaders. “By 2020, the entire I-66 corridor from University Boulevard in Prince William to the Potomac River will be transformed and will work better for commuters.”

“Taken as a whole, these are probably the most extensive changes to 66 since its inception,” Layne said of the inside and outside the Beltway projects.

Layne, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation have spent the past two years developing plans to expand the state’s network of high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes onto I-66. While any plan to toll drivers generates opposition, the state plan for I-66 inside the Beltway is unique, because drivers will start paying the tolls before any widening. The other projects on the Capital Beltway and I-95/395, and the one proposed for I-66 outside the Beltway, all involved an expansion of lanes.

Even at its most basic level, the HOT lanes concept is difficult for drivers to understand. With HOT lanes, there are no toll booths. Tolls are collected electronically, and drivers need to use either a regular E-ZPass or the E-ZPass Flex transponder, which has a special setting for drivers claiming a toll-free ride because they are carpooling. The toll rises or falls depending on the level of traffic, with a goal of maintaining a free flow.

The I-66 plan added several unique features. Today’s lanes inside the Beltway are restricted to high-occupancy vehicles (HOV) at rush hours. That means means that during the morning and afternoon travel peaks, the rush hour direction is open only to drivers with at least one passenger or to vehicles that have an exemption, most prominently the drivers of hybrid cars with the proper clean-fuel license plates. The HOT lanes plan opens the restricted lanes to solo drivers willing to pay the variable toll. It eliminates most exemptions, including the one for the hybrid drivers.

The original plan involved converting the HOV lanes to HOT lanes by setting up tolling gantries, without any new asphalt to widen what are now basically two through lanes in each direction. This would still be a boon to solo drivers, now banned from using the interstate during the HOV hours, as long as they were willing to pay the toll. But the HOT lanes plan still became an issue in the fall 2015 General Assembly elections, especially in the outer suburbs of Washington, where many long-distance commuters live, and several bills to ban tolling without widening were introduced for the start of the legislative session in January.

One measure, Senate Bill 234 sponsored by Sen. J. Chapman Petersen (D-Fairfax) was effectively killed for this session by a subcommittee action on Monday. Under the deal announced by McAuliffe, legislative leaders also will dispose of LeMunyon’s House Bill 1.

LeMunyon had this to say as part of the statement issues by the governor’s office:

My colleagues and I made the case for widening I-66 inside the Beltway. I’m glad there is now consensus on the need to do this as soon as possible. This is a step forward in our efforts to address the gridlock on I-66 within the limits of current budget resources. I look forward to taking additional steps to reduce congestion in this key corridor.

McAuliffe administration officials felt that legislative action was a real threat to the I-66 plan. In addition, Layne said, the widening will solve an issue for many commuters who say they experience congestion on their eastbound trips in the afternoon and evening, when the HOV rules are in effect only on the westbound side.

The deal announced Wednesday is between the governor and the General Assembly, rather than with any of the many other interested parties in Northern Virginia. The history of I-66 inside the Beltway is one long string of battles between Arlington County, where the highway is located, and long-distance commuters who want to remove any impediments to driving.

Post reporter Patricia Sullivan passed along this statement from Libby Garvey, chairman of the Arlington County Board, on behalf of the board:

We are disappointed with the news of the amended plan for I-66, which will immediately widen I-66. We respect that Governor McAuliffe and his administration worked hard to protect the earlier plan, which delayed the widening of I-66 until we had several years’ worth of experience with multimodal solutions [carpooling, commuter buses and other travel options]. We appreciate that — aside from the decision to widen immediately — many of the original elements remain intact:

  • Toll revenue is dedicated to multimodal improvements;
  • NVTC (our region’s transit agency) receives the toll revenue;
  • Local governments retain the authority to spend these funds on local projects; and
  • Any widening occurs within existing right-of-way.

As the new plan moves forward, Arlington will be vigilant, working to ensure that appropriate environmental analyses are completed efficiently and comprehensively. We will do all we can to mitigate harm from the widening, and we will explore possible improvements to accompany the widening. As always, Arlington will be working to promote improved regional transit. We need frequent, reliable, and comfortable transit systems along the east-west corridor that get people quickly to where they want to go.

The Fairfax County government represents many of those outside-the-Beltway commuters who want more space on I-66. Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, made this statement:

The governor’s announcement today will advance this critical project, which faced dangerous opposition from the General Assembly. This plan relieves congestion on I-66, maintains regional and local control over toll revenue, does not divert funding from other local and regional priorities, and is in line with Fairfax County’s position on widening and tolling. We thank Governor McAuliffe for keeping this project moving forward.

Three advocacy groups on land use and transportation — the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, combined on a statement that gave the deal a mixed review. This is a portion of their statement:

Our organizations have supported the governor’s package of transit, HOV, and tolls for I-66 inside the Beltway as a far more effective approach than widening. This package of solutions will move 40,000 more people through the corridor in the peak hours faster and more reliably, and it won the support of Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church, and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.

Therefore, we are deeply disappointed by legislators of both parties who have pressed to undo this effective demand-management and people-moving package in favor of a widen-first approach. In doing so, the legislators have failed to understand the settled science of induced traffic where widened roads in metropolitan areas quickly fill up again. They also failed to understand the benefits of funding transit through the toll revenues, and the effectiveness of the package in moving more people through the corridor during peak hours.

We’re grateful to the governor for fighting for the package of solutions he has championed for I-66 inside the Beltway. Although we are very disappointed that the widening is being accelerated before more effective solutions are given the opportunity to work, the agreement reflects a political compromise. That said, we urge the governor and local governments to accelerate the funding and implementation of transit and supportive ride-matching and transit marketing necessary to ensure we maximize the number of people using transit and carpooling before the widening takes effect in 2019.

Photo courtesy of VDOT. Click here to read the original story.

Rep. Don Beyer: Gov. McAuliffe’s I-66 Proposal Changes Longstanding Understanding; “I remain dubious about additional asphalt”

Posted on by Veronica Miniello

I’m 100% with Rep. Don Beyer on this one (see his statement below); VERY dubious about additional asphalt, not pleased about forcing a road widening through Arlington County, which should be a regional model for smart growth and transit. I’m also in full agreement with Greater Greater Washington (GGW) that “McAuliffe’s original tolling proposal had already been significantly compromised,” so this is a worse compromise on an already less-than-ideal compromise. I further agree with GGW on this: “This new compromise is a blow to Arlington, which has long supported investments like transit, cycling, and transportation demand management as alternatives to widening I-66. It is also a blow to Virginia’s moves toward a more data-driven transportation decision-making process, as the lawmakers pushing for widening ignore data saying it’s not necessary.” And, as GGW points out, $140 million doesn’t just come from nowhere; where’s that money coming out of exactly?!? On the positive side, “the majority of toll revenue will still be dedicated to transit and other multimodal improvements,” but that should always be done regardless, as building more roads – and de facto encouraging more sprawl, more fossil fuel consumption, more pollution, more global warming, etc. – is exactly the wrong way to go for a whole host of reasons.

Arlington County had a longstanding agreement that I-66 would not be widened inside the Beltway. Today’s announcement by Governor McAuliffe changes that understanding, and with no public input so far.

My initial reaction is one of concern for Northern Virginians who have worked – many of them for decades – for an alternative approach to big highways. But I continue to learn details of the proposal and to listen to constituents on all sides of this issue.

Early conversations with elected officials who represent Arlington County indicate that Arlington is more open to this partial I-66 widening than in the past, and that the potential benefits from I-66 tolls will bring important transit and multi-modal benefits to the surrounding corridor. I remain dubious about additional asphalt, and await input from my Arlington and other constituents about today’s proposal.

P.S. See after the “flip” for the Coalition for Smarter Growth’s – and several environmental groups – critical reaction to this deal.

RICHMOND, VA — Three leading smart growth, conservation, and transportation reform advocacy groups released the following joint statement on the announced agreement between Governor McAuliffe and state legislators on I-66 inside the Beltway:

Our organizations have supported the Governor’s package of transit, HOV, and tolls for I-66 inside the Beltway as a far more effective approach than widening. This package of solutions will move 40,000 more people through the corridor in the peak hours faster and more reliably, and it won the support of Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church, and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.

Therefore, we are deeply disappointed by legislators of both parties who have pressed to undo this effective demand-management and people-moving package in favor of a widen-first approach. In doing so, the legislators have failed to understand the settled science of induced traffic where widened roads in metropolitan areas quickly fill up again. They also failed to understand the benefits of funding transit through the toll revenues, and the effectiveness of the package in moving more people through the corridor during peak hours.

We’re grateful to the Governor for fighting for the package of solutions he has championed for I-66 inside the Beltway. Although we are very disappointed that the widening is being accelerated before more effective solutions are given the opportunity to work, the agreement reflects a political compromise. That said, we urge the Governor and local governments to accelerate the funding and implementation of transit and supportive ride-matching and transit marketing necessary to ensure we maximize the number of people using transit and carpooling before the widening takes effect in 2019.

We urge legislators to understand that an economically successful region like ours cannot build our way out of congestion through highway expansion. That widening is just a band-aid with an increasing cost to people’s homes, neighborhoods, schools, parks, and health.

We have long made the case that investment in transit and smart growth, which can be coupled with road and parking pricing, is the most effective approach to addressing traffic congestion in the near, medium, and long term. Creating a network of walkable, transit-oriented centers and communities allows us to maximize walking, biking, and transit trips, while minimizing driving. It reduces the sprawling development which is the chief contributor to our traffic congestion, and creates the types of communities so in demand today.

Finally, it is important to recognize that Arlington County’s internationally recognized success in coupling transit-oriented development (TOD) with transit investment has done more to reduce regional traffic congestion than any other jurisdiction or any highway expansion in Northern Virginia, while increasing the region’s economic competitiveness. Arlington’s success is a compelling case for why we should continue to maximize our investment in transit and TOD across Northern Virginia rather than widen highways all the way to DC.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington DC region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Its mission is to promote walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, and the land use and transportation policies needed to make those communities flourish. Learn more at smartergrowth.net.

The Southern Environmental Law Center is a regional nonprofit using the power of the law to protect the health and environment of the Southeast (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama). Founded in 1986, SELC’s team of over 60 legal experts represent more than 100 partner groups on issues of climate change and energy, air and water quality, forests, the coast and wetlands, transportation, and land use. Learn more at SouthernEnvironment.org.

The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club is 15,000 members strong. We are your friends and neighbors working to build healthy, livable communities, and to conserve and restore our natural environment. Learn more at sierraclub.org/virginia.

Since 1972, the Piedmont Environmental Council has proudly promoted and protected the natural resources, rural economy, history and beauty of the Virginia Piedmont. Learn more about the Piedmont Environmental Council at pecva.org.

The Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation has campaigned for a ‘wiser, not wider’ I-66 inside the Beltway since 1999. Learn more at acstnet.blogspot.com.

Click here to read the original story.

 

JOINT STATEMENT on I-66 agreement between Governor McAuliffe and Virginia legislators by Coalition for Smarter Growth, Southern Environmental Law Center, Sierra Club – Virginia Chapter, Piedmont Environmental Council, and Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation

Posted on by acustis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2016

CONTACT
Stewart Schwartz, Coalition for Smarter Growth, (703) 599-6437
Trip Pollard, Southern Environmental Law Center, (804) 318-7484

RICHMOND, VA — Three leading smart growth, conservation, and transportation reform advocacy groups released the following joint statement on the announced agreement between Governor McAuliffe and state legislators on I-66 inside the Beltway:

Our organizations have supported the Governor’s package of transit, HOV, and tolls for I-66 inside the Beltway as a far more effective approach than widening. This package of solutions will move 40,000 more people through the corridor in the peak hours faster and more reliably, and it won the support of Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church, and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.

Therefore, we are deeply disappointed by legislators of both parties who have pressed to undo this effective demand-management and people-moving package in favor of a widen-first approach. In doing so, the legislators have failed to understand the settled science of induced traffic where widened roads in metropolitan areas quickly fill up again. They also failed to understand the benefits of funding transit through the toll revenues, and the effectiveness of the package in moving more people through the corridor during peak hours.

We’re grateful to the Governor for fighting for the package of solutions he has championed for I-66 inside the Beltway. Although we are very disappointed that the widening is being accelerated before more effective solutions are given the opportunity to work, the agreement reflects a political compromise. That said, we urge the Governor and local governments to accelerate the funding and implementation of transit and supportive ride-matching and transit marketing necessary to ensure we maximize the number of people using transit and carpooling before the widening takes effect in 2019.

We urge legislators to understand that an economically successful region like ours cannot build our way out of congestion through highway expansion. That widening is just a band-aid with an increasing cost to people’s homes, neighborhoods, schools, parks, and health.

We have long made the case that investment in transit and smart growth, which can be coupled with road and parking pricing, is the most effective approach to addressing traffic congestion in the near, medium, and long term. Creating a network of walkable, transit-oriented centers and communities allows us to maximize walking, biking, and transit trips, while minimizing driving. It reduces the sprawling development which is the chief contributor to our traffic congestion, and creates the types of communities so in demand today.

Finally, it is important to recognize that Arlington County’s internationally recognized success in coupling transit-oriented development (TOD) with transit investment has done more to reduce regional traffic congestion than any other jurisdiction or any highway expansion in Northern Virginia, while increasing the region’s economic competitiveness. Arlington’s success is a compelling case for why we should continue to maximize our investment in transit and TOD across Northern Virginia rather than widen highways all the way to DC.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington DC region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Its mission is to promote walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, and the land use and transportation policies needed to make those communities flourish. Learn more at smartergrowth.net.

The Southern Environmental Law Center is a regional nonprofit using the power of the law to protect the health and environment of the Southeast (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama). Founded in 1986, SELC’s team of over 60 legal experts represent more than 100 partner groups on issues of climate change and energy, air and water quality, forests, the coast and wetlands, transportation, and land use. Learn more at SouthernEnvironment.org.

The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club is 15,000 members strong. We are your friends and neighbors working to build healthy, livable communities, and to conserve and restore our natural environment. Learn more at sierraclub.org/virginia.

Since 1972, the Piedmont Environmental Council has proudly promoted and protected the natural resources, rural economy, history and beauty of the Virginia Piedmont. Learn more about the Piedmont Environmental Council at pecva.org.

 The Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation has campaigned for a ‘wiser, not wider’ I-66 inside the Beltway since 1999.  Learn more at acstnet.blogspot.com.        

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McAuliffe Announces I-66 Compromise Deal

Posted on by Veronica Miniello

A deal announced in Virginia on Wednesday could have a big impact on your commute.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced a compromise deal on Interstate 66 that will add an eastbound lane inside the Beltway.

“We are now fixing the most congested road in the most congested region in the nation,” McAuliffe said.

Here’s the plan: by 2017, the HOV rush hour times will become consistent both inside and outside the Beltway — eastbound from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. and westbound from 3 to 7 p.m. Late next year, tolling will start inside the Beltway. But it will apply only to solo drivers, with no tolls for carpools.

“If you are HOV today, you ride for free, you ride for free after,” McAuliffe said. “All we’re offering here is an option to solo drivers who today are prohibited from going on 66 during rush hour.”

By 2020, drivers will have to have at least three people in the car to use the HOV lanes. Also that year, a third lane will open on I-66 eastbound, stretching from the Dulles Connector to Ballston.

The proposed eastbound lane is the most controversial part of the transportation deal between the Democratic governor and Republican leaders.

“This agreement is a big win for Virginia’s economy and for the commuters who spend too much time on the most congested road in the most congested region in the country,” McAuliffe said.

The proposed new lane would only run from the Beltway to the Fairfax Drive/Glebe Road exit in Arlington. After that point, they don’t have enough right-of-way to add a lane.

However, Arlington lawmakers say they’ve been told that 40 percent of traffic exits at that point, alleviating concerns of creating a traffic bottleneck.

“If we don’t take this deal now, it’s not going to happen for a generation,” State Sen. Barbara Favola said.

Planners reportedly will not have to take over any properties to add the lane.

Back when McAuliffe and transportation officials proposed HOT lane tolling on the highway inside the Beltway, the plan was met with fierce opposition by GOP lawmakers, who said it was unfair to toll drivers and did not add road capacity.

The new compromise is aimed at addressing that criticism by adding another lane.

The deal between McAuliffe and Republicans concerns the entirety of I-66, both inside and outside the Beltway. While the part of the deal concerning I-66 inside the Beltway was the most controversial, the plan for outside the Beltway is essentially what McAuliffe and his transportation secretary had proposed before: two HOT lanes in each direction to Gainesville.

The plan will also create more park-and-ride locations on I-66, similar to I-95 in that regard. It would also add more bus service.

Officials in Fairfax County have applauded the compromise.

“This plan relieves congestion on I-66, maintains regional and local control over toll revenue, does not divert funding from other local and regional priorities,” said Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Work to widen I-66 east will begin this year, the governor said Wednesday. The Arlington County Board says they are disappointed with how soon the widening will take place.

“We will do all we can to mitigate harm from the widening, and we will explore possible improvements to accompany the widening,” said Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey.

Stewart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth called on lawmakers to carefully weigh the plan.

“I think it’s incumbent upon the administration and Northern Virginia to invest as much in transit as fast as possible before the widening comes online,” he said.

Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William County) said he plans to battle the plan.

“It may be a done deal, but I intend to fight it,” he said. As the governor spoke, he and his wife held signs that read “Stop $17 tolls on I-66.”

“You’re going to bankrupt people. People making the minimum wage can’t even use this road. Period,” he said.

All of the revenue from the tolls will be used by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. The tolls are expected to make $18 million in 2018.

Click here to read the original story.

RELEASE: Groups Respond to Legislators – Urging Support for the I-66 Inside the Beltway Package of Solutions

Posted on by acustis

Coalition for Smarter Growth, Southern Environmental Law Center, Piedmont Environmental Council, Sierra Club – Virginia Chapter, Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2016

CONTACT
Stewart Schwartz, Coalition for Smarter Growth, (703) 599-6437
Trip Pollard, Southern Environmental Law Center, (804) 318-7484

RICHMOND, VA — Today, several smart growth, transportation reform, and conservation groups reemphasized their support for the McAuliffe administration’s proposal to improve traffic flow along I-66 inside the Beltway, in response to a letter a group of state legislators recently sent Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation voicing their opposition to the plan.

“We understand the concerns of legislators and constituents about the tolls, but the Governor’s package of solutions is many times more effective than the widening those legislators are pressing, and it represents both a progressive and a fiscally conservative approach to a major transportation problem,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

“VDOT’s analysis of the congestion reduction benefits of various projects found that the administration’s proposal to open the HOV lanes to all drivers while charging a toll for single-occupant vehicles, and using the toll revenue to fund transit, strategic widening, and carpooling improvements along I-66 would be six times more effective than widening alone. It would move 40,000 more people through the corridor faster and more reliably,” said Trip Pollard, Director of the Land and Community Program of the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Under the current multi-jurisdictional agreement, widening would be considered after the tolling, carpools and transit are given an opportunity to work and their effectiveness is fully evaluated.

“The problem with widening as the default response to every traffic problem, is that induced demand causes newly widened roads to fill up again in as little as five years,” said Schwartz. “I expect that to happen even more quickly on I-66, as the bottleneck gets pushed to a new location. Besides, where do additional cars go as they try to exit onto local streets in Arlington or Constitution Avenue in DC? We need a demand management solution, and that’s what the Governor’s package provides.” Studies in 2005, 2009, and 2012 built toward the 2015 proposal. All determined that a widening-only approach wouldn’t work very well.

Tolls on I-66 will make it possible for  single-occupant drivers to use the lanes, and dynamic congestion-pricing will ensure that carpools, transit, and single-occupant vehicles are guaranteed a minimum speed of 45 mph through the corridor, ensuring trips are faster and more reliable.

“The revenues from the tolls will also provide as much as $10 million per year to provide increased commuter bus service and rail cars needed for 8-car trains on Metro’s  orange line, helping even more people to move through the corridor to get to jobs,” said Douglas Stewart, Transportation Chair for the Sierra Club – Virginia Chapter. “It’s important for the legislators to recognize that increased transit service represents capacity expansion that is more efficient, effective and sustainable over the long-term.”

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington DC region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Its mission is to promote walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, and the land use and transportation policies and investments needed to make those communities flourish. Learn more at smartergrowth.net.

The Southern Environmental Law Center is a regional nonprofit using the power of the law to protect the health and environment of the Southeast (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama). Founded in 1986, SELC’s team of over 60 legal experts represent more than 100 partner groups on issues of climate change and energy, air and water quality, forests, the coast and wetlands, transportation, and land use. Learn more at SouthernEnvironment.org.

Since 1972, the Piedmont Environmental Council has proudly promoted and protected the natural resources, rural economy, history and beauty of the Virginia Piedmont. Learn more about the Piedmont Environmental Council at pecva.org.

The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club is 15,000 members strong. We are your friends and neighbors working to build healthy, livable communities, and to conserve and restore our natural environment. Learn more at sierraclub.org/virginia.

 The Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation has campaigned for a ‘wiser, not wider’ I-66 inside the Beltway since 1999.  Learn more at acstnet.blogspot.com.        

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RELEASE: Coalition for Smarter Growth voices support for rapid transit funding in Montgomery County CIP

Posted on by acustis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2015

CONTACT
Pete Tomao
Montgomery County Advocacy Manager
Coalition for Smarter Growth
516-318-0605
pete@smartergrowth.net

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD— A coalition of business leaders and transit advocates is endorsing a council initiative to jump start Montgomery County’s plan for a Rapid Transit System (RTS).

Yesterday, the County Council transmitted a letter to County Executive Leggett advocating a six-pronged approach for getting RTS back on track, which included funding study money in the CIP FY17-FY22, a quicker timeline for RTS implementation, and the development of a viable financing plan. Seven of the nine councilmembers are in support. “It is great to see the council take action and work toward next steps for RTS. The council letter makes clear that the RTS needs to be on a quicker path toward implementation,” said Pete Tomao, representing Communities for Transit and the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) as CSG’s Montgomery County Advocacy Manager.

“A strong majority of the council recognize the importance of prioritizing RTS in the current CIP, while building consensus on how to move forward with this vital project. We must keep momentum moving forward for an RTS” said Tomao.

“The current timeline for RTS does not have service starting until the middle of the next decade, that is simply too long. The RTS needs to be branded and marketed correctly and put on a path toward completion.  It is essential that the Council and County Executive work together and follow through on the points laid out in the Council letter” said Tomao.

The six-pronged approach includes the following:

  1. Marketing and branding
  2. Fund planning and preliminary engineering studies in the FY17-22 CIP
  3. Develop a real and viable financing plan
  4. Push MTA to develop a more rapid timeline and to work with partners
  5. Ensure that MTA does not “over engineer” RTS
  6. Continue to dedicate high level staff to effort

 

Additionally, Communities for Transit and the Coalition for Smarter Growth are supportive of ongoing efforts to create more cost effective plans for Phase 1 of Montgomery’s RTS Network: the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT), MD355, US29, and Veirs Mill Road. As some of the largest transit projects in the state, it is important that funds become available for Phase 1 of the RTS Network, and that cost-effective financing options are developed.

With companies like Marriott demanding transit accessibility, Montgomery County needs to prioritize transit and transit-oriented development utilizing Metrorail, the Purple Line, and RTS if the county wants to enhance its economic competitiveness. The RTS is predicted to provide $871 million in net fiscal revenue to Montgomery County over 25 years. Building this system is crucial to keeping Montgomery competitive with Northern Virginia.

“Not only is rapid transit a must for enticing and retaining businesses, it is a must for social mobility. Recent reports have shown that access to transit is the greatest indicator of one’s odds of escaping poverty.  Shifting funds from roads to transit not only helps business, it connects residents to jobs, and supports upward economic mobility,” said Tomao.  “By 2040, Montgomery County will have 20% more people, 40% more jobs, and 70% more congestion.  As the Council letter makes clear, we need RTS and we need it now.”

Background:  Every two years the Montgomery County Executive submits a plan for capital improvements. The improvement plan encompasses six fiscal years.  It takes a vote of at least five council members to approve or modify a proposed improvement plan, and six votes to amend a previously approved capital program. The capital budget provides an important opportunity to shift funds from roads to transit.

About the Coalition for Smarter Growth

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington DC region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Its mission is to promote walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, and the land use and transportation policies needed to make those communities flourish.  Learn more at smartergrowth.net.

About Communities for Transit

Communities for Transit (CFT) educates the public on the planned and unanimously-approved Rapid Transit System for Montgomery County, MD. CFT focuses on community outreach to build awareness of the compelling case for rapid transit as an effective response to our unsustainable traffic problems.  Learn more at communitiesfortransit.org.

 

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STATEMENT: New “Roadmap” Report on Regional Economy has Key Omissions

Posted on by acustis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2015

CONTACT
Stewart Schwartz
(703) 599-6437
stewart@smartergrowth.net

WASHINGTON DC — Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director Stewart Schwartz today issued the following statement in response to the release of a new report on the DC region’s economy, “Roadmap for the Washington Region’s Future Economy.”

“The report has many good ideas including the need for more housing and especially more affordable housing, but it fails to bring all of sectors to the table. In particular, the non-profit community, which is particularly strong in the Washington DC region and includes many working on the housing issue, wasn’t a part of the process.

“Groups like the Coalition for Smarter Growth, affordable housing providers, Casa de Maryland, the Urban Institute, and others, who have much to offer, were not a part of the conversation in contrast to their inclusion in the Council of Government’s Region Forward vision planning. As a result, the report didn’t address issues that might be identified by non-profit organizations working in the community. For example, the significant challenges presented by the east-west economic divide in the region, and the significant number of jobs not accessible by transit, are not addressed.

“The report makes some mention of the benefits of urban development but doesn’t adequately emphasize the importance of creating walkable, transit-accessible urban centers for attracting next generation workers and companies.  At a time when knowledge workers can move anywhere and are increasingly attracted to regions with easy access to nature and outdoor recreation, the report doesn’t address the economic benefits of protection of parks, open space, and recreational areas. The combination of vibrant walkable urban centers and nearby open space and recreation has become critical for attracting the next generation workforce.

“The Coalition for Smarter Growth has longstanding concerns about the intentions of the 2030 Group which pressed for this ‘Roadmap‘ effort. The 2030 Group was formed in the wake of and to a significant extent in opposition to Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments‘ Region Forward compact among all 21 COG jurisdictions. Region Forward established a framework for regional growth, sustainability and equity, with a particular emphasis on transit and transit-oriented development.

“Bob Buchanan, leader of the 2030 Group, has failed to give credit to Region Forward and other significant areas of regional cooperation. In forum after forum in the suburbs, Buchanan and the 2030 Group have focused on advocating for the Outer Beltway with new upriver Potomac bridges, and pressing for an appointed regional transportation authority to select projects like an Outer Beltway.

“The Coalition for Smarter Growth strongly opposes a regional authority of appointed officials who would be unaccountable to the voters and more focused on picking mega-projects than on the comprehensive approach to land use and transportation adopted by Region Forward. We oppose the Outer Beltway, because it would worsen the east-west economic divide, undermine sustainable transit-oriented development, and increase sprawling development.

“Where the 2030 Group is focused on an Outer Beltway, the Coalition for Smarter Growth and most elected officials are focused on investing in transit and the vibrant, urban transit-oriented centers that are so much in demand by the new generation workforce and companies.

“We’d like to see the non-profit community at the table and the discussion brought back under the umbrella of the Council of Governments. There are some big regional growth, housing, equity and transportation issues to discuss – as the report makes clear, but we need everyone at the table.”

About the Coalition for Smarter Growth

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington DC region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Its mission is to promote walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, and the land use and transportation policies and investments needed to make those communities flourish. Learn more at smartergrowth.net.

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