Centreville — To the Editor:
This is an open letter to all elected officials who represent the residents of western Fairfax County.
Once again I feel compelled to write you to express outrage over the handling of the project to replace the four-way stop configuration with a roundabout at the intersection of Braddock and Pleasant Valley roads.
As you may recall, the various responsible boards approved this project with a projected budget of approximately $4.1 million, despite the objections from the residents of western Fairfax. VDOT then released a request for proposal (based on a design/build plan) for construction of the roundabout with bids returned ranging from $4.1 million to over $6 million. On May 19, VDOT released a letter of intent to award to the lowest bidder. VDOT published the letter along with a revised project estimate — $5.8 million — on its website. This new project estimate represents a 41.4 percent increase over the latest published budget estimate ($4.1 million) and ridiculously higher than the $2.5 million estimate that was presented more than a year ago. And by the way, “the first shovel of dirt has not been turned.”
So, if VDOT released a letter of intent to award, presumably VDOT has the intention of finding the funds to close the deficit.
I want to know — where are the funds coming from, what is the approval process and who will need to approve the additional funds?
Once again I see a lack of transparency in the process with something going on in the background and outside of the public view with the intention to make this project happen at any cost.
I am pleading for any elected official to step up and stop this project immediately and call for an investigation as to why the project costs are spiraling out over control before it has even begun.
Ted Troscianecki
Centreville