In January, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recommended Alternative D as its preferred route for the four-lane, Battlefield Bypass project. Last Thursday, May 5, it held a public hearing so citizens could weigh in on the project's draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).
BUT BECAUSE of the hearing's out-of-the-way location — at Battlefield High in Haymarket during the height of evening rush-hour traffic in Fairfax County — the deck was stacked heavily in favor of Prince William County residents.
Since they were more easily able to attend the hearing, most speakers either said they didn't want the Bypass built or wanted it taking Alternative G — the route most detrimental to Centreville residents.
Afterward, Centreville's Judy Heisinger, of the project's Citizens Advisory Board, was amazed at what she'd just witnessed. "I am shocked at everybody wanting Alternative G — and partly, it's because of where the public hearing was located," she said. "It's very NIMBY because the DEIS clearly says G is the most expensive, takes up the most park resources and parkland and is the longest."
In 1988, Congress mandated a study of possibly closing routes 29 and 234 through the Manassas National Battlefield Park and channelling the traffic elsewhere. But where to send it has fueled heated debate for the past 22 months.
Several alternatives were proposed — including Alternative G, which would have dire effects on Centreville's Bull Run Estates community. Traveling south of Battlefield Park and north of and parallel to I-66, it plows through five homes in Bull Run Estates and a corner of Cub Run Primitive Baptist Church on Compton Road.
However, Alternative D begins at the Route 234 Bypass/I-66 Interchange, heading north on the Park's western edge. It comes off Route 29, west of Luck Stone Quarry, and cuts the northern corner of Battlefield Park.
AND ACCORDING to the DEIS, Alternative D impacts less homes, businesses and acres of wetlands, as well as Civil War and prehistoric resources. It would be 8.6 miles and cost some $137.8 million for construction plus land and right-of-way acquisition.
At last week's hearing attended by just a handful of Fairfax County residents, Park Superintendent Bob Sutton said the park "will be better" when a bypass is built. Ken Mobley, project manager for Parsons, the bypass-study consultant, said currently, "Over 28,000 vehicles per day use [Routes 29 and 234] and the volume of traffic, high percentage of trucks and mix of travel conflict with the park's mission of historic preservation."
And, he warned, "Just because there's a preferred alternative doesn't mean it will be the final alternative. The decision will be made based on tonight's input, information from both counties and recommendations from the CTB [Commonwealth Transportation Board]. We've also received numerous requests to revise Alternative G, and it could even be a new alternative."
Prince William's Greg Gorham said D would make trips to Dulles longer for Manassas residents and a G with a few tweaks would be better for that county's residents.
But Prince William's Carl Hemmer wanted the no-build option. "New roads to replace Lee Highway are a luxury few taxpayers could afford," he said. To loud applause, he said today's actions shouldn't be based on "flawed, outdated" conclusions made in earlier times." Agreeing, neighbor John Hampton said, "There are no funds for this. What we're seeing here is a pipedream."
R. Keith Young of the Bull Run Civil War Roundtable said, "The park should be protected and preserved for those who come behind us. We support Alternative G, which uses existing traffic patterns." However, John Gordon IV of Gainesville saw things differently.
"THE NATIONAL Park Service is grossly exaggerating the need for closing these roads," he said. There are very few visitors to the park on the weekend, and it's not because of the traffic congestion. It's because interest in the Civil War is waning. I'm a history major and Civil War aficionado, myself, but that's the truth. This [bypass] is really a tragic waste of public money."
Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, contended the project is part of an Outer Beltway scheme, which Mobley denied. "We oppose this bypass and support local fixes," he said. "We shouldn't be focused on the north/south, but on the east/west."
But, said Mark McConn of the Bull Run Civic Association, "We've got major problems in Fairfax, and we're being asked to put the impact of [Prince William's] roads on our houses." He then read a letter written by Bull Run Estates' Laura Hargis.
"In these days of tight budgets, it is unthinkable that there is any thought, whatsoever, of closing two busy roads, only to have to commit millions (or billions) of dollars for completely new ones," she wrote. "Is it unreasonable to think that Congress can change its mind? Alternative G goes right through our neighborhood and will rip out the heart of our small, but historic and close-knit, community."
Elizabeth Merritt of the National Trust for Historic Preservation wanted Alternative G, saying reducing traffic through the battlefield is important to keep the park a legacy for future generations.
But Centreville's Carol Hawn said G "would do a lot of destruction" to residential conservation land. Stressing that Fairfax County's supervisors chose to preserve this area by downzoning it in 1982, she said it's "our legacy to our children and grandchildren."
IN A written statement, Virginia Run's Jim Hart said D is "least disruptive to Fairfax County folks. [Two other alternatives] A and B are too close to homes in Fairfax National Estates, and G is very disruptive to Bull Run Estates."
Added Centreville's Heisinger: "If people really care about the park, Alternative G is not the answer; C or D affect Fairfax County the least. So I urge people from Fairfax County to make their wishes known."
They may do so until June 6 by e-mailing battlefieldbypass@parsons.com or writing Jack Van Dop, Federal Highway Administration, Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division, 21400 Ridgetop Circle, Sterling, VA 20166.