Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation
Statement to the National Capital
Region Transportation Planning Board
by Allen Muchnick, president,
January 21, 2015
I’m Allen Muchnick with the Arlington Coalition for Sensible
Transportation (or ACST). Since 1999, ACST has advocated "wiser, not
wider" management and multimodal improvements to I-66 inside the Beltway
to most effectively move people and minimize highway congestion and travel
times.
VDOT’s proposal to convert I-66 inside the Beltway into a
High-Occupancy/Toll (HOT-3) facility, in both directions, during peak periods
only, is the sort of smart, cost-effective, and permanent solution to I-66
traffic congestion that ACST has advocated for the past 15 years. We thank the TPB for repeatedly pushing VDOT
to conduct a full, fair, and transparent study leading to a long-term strategic
plan for effectively managing the I-66 multimodal corridor, which includes two
Metrorail lines, several parallel arterial roadways, two regional bikeways, and
serves many commuter buses and carpools.
While not perfect or complete, VDOT’s one-year I-66 inside the Beltway
Multimodal Study was a commendable beginning, especially considering its time
and financial constraints, and VDOT wisely directed the project team to refine
the study’s recommendations into a Supplemental Final Report dated August
2013. We also applaud Virginia Transportation
Secretary Aubrey Layne for boldly directing VDOT to implement the study’s
recommended integrated multimodal packages and, in particular, to expeditiously
initiate peak-period congestion pricing on I-66 in both directions.
Public opposition to HOT lanes, especially lanes that were
previously toll-free, will require VDOT to conduct rigorous analyses and
effective public outreach to demonstrate the wisdom of the proposed HOV-2 to
HOT-3 conversion. To be truly effective,
the new HOT hours should at least equal
the current eight daily hours of HOV restrictions on I-66 outside the Beltway, and
the toll revenue must pay the capital and operating costs of the many
recommended, but still unfunded, multimodal corridor improvements. Notably,
VDOT should promptly develop and promote a detailed implementation schedule for
the associated multimodal improvements.
We
appreciate that VDOT does not currently propose any new widening of I-66 east
of Ballston, and that most or all of its proposed I-66 widening may remain
within the existing I-66 footprint. Nevertheless,
other than to eliminate short bottlenecks and facilitate merging, VDOT’s newly
proposed I-66 widening would directly undermine the regional objectives of
reduced traffic congestion, reduced VMT and carbon emissions, and increased use
of public transit and other SOV alternatives, by increasing daily VMT in the
regional core by what could exceed 30,000 added daily trips (1,500
vehicles/lane/hour added capacity x 2 lanes x 10). Also, widening I-66
between I-495 and the Dulles Connector Road seems completely unnecessary and
could worsen the already awful eastbound merge of I-66 and the Connector Road.
Since
the HOT conversion with multimodal improvements and the newly proposed I-66
widening are at cross purposes and have divergent impacts and implementation
schedules, VDOT should divide its new proposal
for I-66 inside the Beltway into two distinct CLRP amendments. In
addition, VDOT’s proposed NEPA study should include a range of alternatives to
further widening I-66, including multimodal and operating upgrades to Route 50.
