Image captured from the 66alliance website.This statement, written by Greg Scott, was presented at the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) Public Information Meeting on "Transform 66 Inside the Beltway Project" held Oct. 5 at VDOT Northern Virginia District Office in Fairfax, Virginia.
Good evening. My name is Greg Scott. I appear this evening on behalf of the grassroots I-66 commuter advocacy group called the “66 Alliance.” The Alliance is a growing group of I-66 commuters – now almost 700 members – committed to challenging many facets of VDOT’s plans for I-66, both inside and outside the Beltway. More information on the Alliance can be found on our website at www.66alliance.org.
The Alliance’s members are united by our concern about VDOT’s plan to change the carpooling rules on 66 from HOV-2 to HOV-3. We are concerned about VDOT’s plan to end the Clean Fuel Vehicle plate program for all of 66. We are concerned about VDOT’s plan to toll 66 inside the Beltway in both directions during the morning and evening rush hours, thereby impacting thousands of “reverse” commuters. And we are deeply concerned that VDOT does not seem to care about any of the concerns expressed for months by the 66 Alliance’s hundreds of members and thousands of supporters.
The concerns of the 66 Alliance’s members are particularly troublesome because – as Arlington County Board Chair Hynes said to us during a recent meeting – there is existing unused vehicle capacity inside the Beltway on I-66. As a daily user of 66 inside the Beltway during rush hour, I can tell you from long experience that there is rarely a back-up on 66 eastbound during the 2 mornings or westbound during the evenings inside the Beltway. Congestion does occur, partly due to high traffic volumes but most recently due to construction, in the reverse commuting direction. But those traffic choke points are being addressed by road improvements that have nothing to do with VDOT’s plans for 66 inside the Beltway.
As a result, VDOT’s plan for 66 inside the Beltway is an expensive and unnecessary solution in search of a problem. It has become obvious to me in my six months of working on this issue that VDOT’s bureaucratic mind has been made up for months or years on this project. They want the millions of dollars in revenue that comes from tolling drivers on 66 inside the Beltway. Nothing I nor any other taxpayer, 66 commuter or local resident can say will change their minds.
However, recently, a wide range of elected officials have started to weigh in against VDOT’s inside the Beltway plans. Last month, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution opposed to VDOT’s inside the Beltway plans. Last week a group of powerful members of the Virginia House of Delegates told VDOT to go back to the drawing board. Currently, the Boards of Supervisors in Fairfax, Prince William and Fauquier Counties are advancing resolutions in opposition to VDOT’s inside the Beltway plans. Are the Richmond-based unelected bureaucrats VDOT bureaucrats listening? It appears not – at least not to date.
I invite everyone to attend a planned I-66 “town hall” meeting on Thursday, October 22nd to discuss our concerns with VDOT’s inside and outside the Beltway plans. The location will be announced on the Alliance’s website soon and promoted by many organizations. Unlike VDOT’s meetings -- when VDOT’s bureaucrats lecture to us or listen stone-faced and silent to our heartfelt concerns -- the October 22nd meeting will be a discussion between voters, commuters, taxpayers and their elected representatives. Will VDOT show up to such a meeting that is not tightly scripted with a preordained outcome -- such as this one? Time will tell. But I suspect we will all get more information, answers and action at the meeting on the 22nd that we will tonight. Ultimately, it likely will be up to our elected Delegates and Senators to put a halt to VDOT’s plans for 66 when the Virginia General Assembly reconvenes in 2016. The Alliance’s members look forward to working with all opponents of VDOT’s 66.
The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Bristow Beat, LLC, its staff, contributors or sponsors.
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