"Every Virginia resident should be concerned about how the Public Private Transportation Act is distorting transportation decision-making and shutting down objective public review and debate," said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. Today, the McDonnell administration announced their pursuit of a Public-Private Transportation deal for a HOT lanes project on I-66. This announcement comes on the heels of a vote by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, protesting the decision to exclude rail transit options as priorities for the I-66 corridor and asking for reconsideration of the plan. The Commonwealth Transportation Board voted in May, just a few weeks after public comments on the I-66 proposal.

For Immediate Release: June 20, 2013Contact: Stewart Schwartz, CSG, 703-599-6437 A diverse set of groups working on affordable housing, conservation, transit, smart growth and bicycle pedestrian issues sent the following letter last week to Fairfax and state officials.  We have already received a positive response from Supervisor McKay, Fairfax transportation

Statement on Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board Approval of $17.6 Billion Six-Year Capital Spending Program A Road to Ruin? Today with no debate, the appointed Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the largest transportation spending program in Virginia history, $17.6 billion in capital spending. “We are shocked by the lack of discussion of

Dozens of Montgomery residents packed the Montgomery County Planning Department headquarters in Silver Spring Thursday evening to support the Planning Department’s goal of advancing a new rapid transit system for Montgomery. Citing the proposed system’s potential for offering the best solution to the County’s traffic challenges, reducing local air pollution from car emissions, and providing more affordable transit options and access to jobs for working families and young people, the residents asked the Planning Board to adopt the proposed system into Montgomery’s General Plan for transportation.

WASHINGTON, DC – Last night the Coalition for Smarter Growth presented its Tenth Annual Livable Communities Leadership Award to Gerald T. (Jerry) Halpin, the founder of WEST*GROUP, for his determined leadership in the transformation of Tysons, one of the nation’s most important redevelopment projects. They also recognized the Fairfax County staff for their hard work and important role in developing and implementing the Tysons plan.