Last night, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority hosted a public hearing to receive public comment before deciding how they will allocate over $1.248 billion over the next six years. I joined Dumfries Mayor-Elect Derrick Wood and Town Councilwoman-Elect Monae Nickerson to advocate for funding four projects on U.S. 1.
Here are the four projects:
- 2018-053-1 - Widen Route 1 Through Dumfries - $116,554,00
We were joined by the Mount Vernon Council of Citizens and the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation who spoke in support of the projects. Unfortunately, the Northern Virginia "Transportation" Alliance - a coalition of Tysons and Dulles-Area businesses and developers spoke specifically in opposition to the Route 1 projects even though U.S. 1 BRT ranked #8 for congestion relief on the formula that they drafted and pushed us to enact!
Eastern Fairfax and Prince William County have waited too long for transportation investments into U.S. 1. Now is the time to fund these crucial projects and I will have little patience if the institutional forces of Northern Virginia continue to demand priority over areas that have lacked infrastructure investment for three decades.
Mayor-Elect Wood opened the public hearing by outlining the safety and quality of life problems currently present on U.S. 1 in Dumfries:
Councilwoman-Elect Monae Nickerson spoke next and also highlighted the needs in Dumfries:
I testified to the Authority that we have been waiting too long for investments in our community. U.S. 1 widening and transit expansion will deliver massive congestion relief for their cost. The economic development and quality of life improvements that come from these investments make them the clear choice for funding.
The NVTA is taking comments through Sunday, May 20 at 11:59 p.m. It is critical that we submit as many comments as possible in support of these projects so that the NVTA understands our need. I will collect comments through the May 20 deadline and submit them to NVTA in a large packet at that time.
The U.S. 1 projects in Fairfax County are ranked #23 and #24 out of 60 based on all criteria relative to cost and #2 and #8 for congestion relief. The U.S. 1 widening in Dumfries is ranked #17 overall and #10 for congestion relief. You can see the overall project rankings here:
CLICK HERE to submit your comments on Fairfax County projects.
CLICK HERE to submit comments on Prince William County projects.
The changes to Ft. Belvoir due to BRAC have created very serious traffic congestion to our region. Ft. Hunt Rd now backs up every evening going SOUTH to NORTH towards DC! And from what I have read Ft. Belvoir is likely to increase in size dramatically more in the next 10-20 years. We desperately need to address these issues. The entire Rt. 1 corridor needs to be upgraded and expanded to keep this from being the biggest bottleneck in NOVA since the infamous mixing bowl. We need to act now before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteWon't help if plans to increase dwelling units by 18000 as advocated by our politicians. Say no to over development and say yes to transportation upgrades.
DeleteThat's not correct.
DeleteEach of the 60 submitted projects were analyzed for congestion relief. The U.S. 1 BRT - coupled with the redevelopment plans - was found to rank #2 out of 58 projects for congestion mitigation. The U.S. 1 widening between Hybla Valley and Fort Belvoir was ranked #10.
I live in Fairfax county between old town Alexandria and Fort Belvoir. I have noticed the infrastructure upgrades in the western part of the county, but when will our part of the county get upgraded? We need to revitalize the route 1 corridor. We pay taxes too, over here.
ReplyDeleteBe careful to what you ask for, or you might just get it along with over development
DeletePlease make sure your submit your comments here:
ReplyDeletebit.ly/US1comment
That's how the NVTA will see it!