Citizens attend a public meeting on the I-66 expansion on Thursday, May 28 in Oakton High School. Photos by Abigail Constantino/The Connection
Representatives from the Virginia Department of Transportation presented Alternative 2C, in addition to Alternatives 2A and 2B, at Oakton High School in Vienna on Thursday, May 28.
VDOT deputy district administrator Renee Hamilton said that “we realize we’re affecting homes, affecting lives” and the team is very sensitive to that.
Alternative 2C was included because of testimonies from the public meeting the day before in Fairfax. Shifting and reducing the height of the proposed high flyover ramp, using existing infrastructure and staying within the footprint of the right-of-way on Cedar lane, are some of the features of 2C.
THE I-66 EXPANSION plan spans west of Route 15 in Haymarket to east of the Capital Beltway, about 25 miles. Alternative 2A preserves the median for future rail extension while 2B has no median.
The project, intended to “move people,” will include three regular lanes and two express lanes in each direction, expanded commuter bus and a new rapid bus transit and direct access between the express lanes and the new or expanded commuter lots, said Hamilton in her presentation.
Del. Mark Keam (D-35) said that the expansion plans are still a work in progress and acknowledged the seriousness of residents’ concerns.
Residents who gave their testimonies following the formal presentation expressed their desire for alternative transit to solve the traffic the expansion project hopes to fix, particularly the extension of rail service. Hamilton said that WMATA’s priorities at this time are focused on its current projects and extension of the Silver Line.
“We chose to live here close to the Metro, for public transportation, so we expected more public transportation and what we’re getting is more highway. Where are the rest of the agencies and where are our elected leaders? Where’s the public transportation?” said Pamela Frazier, president of the Country Creek Association.
“We can’t keep the left foot on the brake and the right foot on the gas,” said Jim Leslie of the Independent Green Party of Virginia, as he called to preserve the median lane for a rail solution.
“They may not be taking homes in our community but by moving bridges and putting in flyovers, they will basically cut our community in half,” said Frazier.
Stenwood Elementary School PTA president Trish Vanstory’s testimony described the impact of the loss of the ball field on the students. “No more baseball, track, less outdoor activities,” she said.
Keam said that he is intrigued by the “Do No Harm” alternative from Transform 66 Wisely. But Hamilton said that doing nothing will result in traffic being in a standstill by 2040.
“The part that really frustrates me is a lot of these families that live in our areas are families that came here specifically for the benefits. They’re willing to pay a little bit more, they’re willing to spend more money to live in a neighborhood with good schools closer to the Metro, closer to transportation. So by paying more now they’re being penalized by the government for doing something wise,” said Keam. His constituents’ homes are the most affected by the project.
“There’s so many things about this that I don’t like but I’m also doing my best to be a mediator, to make sure that the concerns are raised and for the government to understand that maybe there’s a way they can work this out,” said Keam.
Supervisor Linda Smyth (D-Providence) and representatives from U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) also attended the meeting.
FOR MORE INFORMATION about VDOT’s I-66 expansion plan and to register a comment, go to http://outside.transform66.org/meetings/default.asp. To learn about the “Do No Harm” or “Do Nothing” alternative, go to http://transform66wisely.org/. Comments for the project must be registered by June 18.