See What Transportation Projects Are Proposed for 2014

Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to seek public input at meeting in Fairfax City on July 24.
http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/see-what-transportation-projects-are-proposed-for-2014_2526a3d3

The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is looking for the public’s input on upcoming transportation projects proposed for 2014.

The public hearing will take place at 6 p.m. on July 24 in the council chambers at Fairfax City Hall, 10455 Armstrong Street.

The public will be asked to give input on the over 40 proposed transportation projects in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties.

They are part of “TransAction 2040” which is a long-term, regional transportation plan for the area.

Here’s a look at some of the proposed projects from the descriptions released by the NVTA. Complete information can be found on the NVTA’s website:




Fairfax County

Route 28 widening (southbound from the Dulles Toll Road to Route 50) $20,000,000

Route 28 widening (northbound from McLearen Road to Dulles Toll Road) $11,100,000

Innovation Center Metrorail Station $21,000,000: This would be part of the Silver Line phase two to connect the rail system to and beyond Dulles Airport. It is described as a multimodal facility to includes bus bays, bicycle parking, kiss-and-ride, and taxi waiting areas.

Herndon Parkway intersection improvements at Van Buren Street $500,000: Proposed improvements include road widening, dedicated turning lanes, and bike/pedestrian improvements.

Herndon Parkway intersection improvements at Sterling Road $500,000: The project would include road widening to accommodate dual turning lanes. The project aims to ease congestion between Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

Herndon Metrorail intermodal access improvements$1,100,000: The project would offer bike, pedestrian, and bus transit enhancements to service the future Herndon metro stop. It would include bus shelters and an expanded sidewalk.

Loudoun County

Belmont Ridge Road, North of the Dulles Greenway$20,000,000: Widens Belmont Ridge Road (Route 659) between Glouchester Parkway and Hay Road from two lanes to four lanes.

New grade-separated interchange on Edwards Ferry Road at the Route 15 Leesburg Bypass $1,000,000: The project description states that the intersection is currently congested and that the work would enhance traffic flow.

Two new transit buses $880,000: Two 40-foot buses to allow for Silver Line transit services from a new park-and-ride facility called the East Gate Park-n-Ride along Tall Cedars Parkway.
Attachments:

GOOD! Maybe this time they'll get these issues fixed!

Let's not waste money on more roads. Only rich, evil taxpayers use roads.

We need a high-speed rail system built between our taxpayer-funded luxury housing for illegals and the welfare-check office. This is my top priority for the region in 2014.

Sharon 8ulova Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let's not waste money on more roads. Only rich,
> evil taxpayers use roads.
>
> We need a high-speed rail system built between our
> taxpayer-funded luxury housing for illegals and
> the welfare-check office. This is my top priority
> for the region in 2014.

Such a miserable wretched and pathetic loser such as yourself would really be better off dead, don't you agree?

So we're screwed? Not one project outside the Herndon/Chantilly area for Fairfax County?

What about Route 28 widening south of U.S. 29? It's REALLY needed.

Sprawl and Crawl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Fairfax County
>
> Route 28 widening (southbound from the Dulles Toll
> Road to Route 50) $20,000,000
>
> Route 28 widening (northbound from McLearen Road
> to Dulles Toll Road) $11,100,000
>

Fuck that.

How about an overpass/underpass on Route 28 for the Rte 66 exits. And getting rid of the damn traffic light at the soccer field on Rte 28 near Walney and the Braddock Rd traffic light. These 3 things collectively cause the 5 mile clusterfuck on route 28 every day during rush hour.

These projects are like treating a decapitation with a bandaid. They wont do anything to change the clusterfuck known as Northern Virginia traffic.

Rte 28 sucks Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sprawl and Crawl Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Fairfax County
> >
> > Route 28 widening (southbound from the Dulles
> Toll
> > Road to Route 50) $20,000,000
> >
> > Route 28 widening (northbound from McLearen
> Road
> > to Dulles Toll Road) $11,100,000
> >
>
> Fuck that.
>
> How about an overpass/underpass on Route 28 for
> the Rte 66 exits. And getting rid of the damn
> traffic light at the soccer field on Rte 28 near
> Walney and the Braddock Rd traffic light. These 3
> things collectively cause the 5 mile clusterfuck
> on route 28 every day during rush hour.

I know seriously!

I don't even drive on 28 and I know that these widenings are in the wrong place. Just look at google traffic for any rush hour and it is green north of 50 and red south of 50. So now we are adding another southbound lane north of 50 so more cars can get to the back up even faster. Was this one of those "must be shovel ready" funding packages, because I can't see any other logical reason for this.

In this past session of the General Assembly, Virginia legislators passed bipartisan transportation legislation supported by Gov. Bob McDonnell (R). It was the first major movement on the transportation front in more than 25 years.

No one claimed it was perfect. Some decried the increased funding and tax requirements while others fretted over the potential impact to the commonwealth’s general fund and other core services.

While forward momentum on dealing with traffic and congestion is to be applauded, this is Northern Virginia. And as we start looking at the candidates for governor, once again transportation is topic one.

Somehow, in the rush to move forward and agree with the accomplishments of the bill, it would appear our statewide candidates may be forgetting that this bill was probably just the first step in truly getting Virginia moving.

We’ve started the car, but find that the road to work is still full of traffic.

The funds raised under the transportation bill will put a lot of people to work and jump-start important projects that have languished for years. Even so, in the long run more funding will likely be required to make up for the shameful negligence of transportation in the past.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli appears to be having some difficulty fusing his past positions with a popular formula for transportation. Opposition to the Silver Line’s Rail to Dulles airport project finds him slightly out of step with the business community, which would typically applaud his fiscal austerity.

Even so, Cuccinelli is correct in his position that these fights are largely over and we need to look toward new goals. To paraphrase, he lost that one and he’s ready to move forward with the hand he’s been dealt. However, despite the attorney general’s conversion to support the transportation compromise, it bears questioning whether the candidate’s anti-tax ideology/small government approach would prevent him from taking the necessary steps to seize future opportunities.

But then if Cuccinelli is finding himself defending his records, it’s because he has one. While promising, Democrat Terry McAuliffe still has a ways to go before we’re completely assured that his first elected office should be the one once held by Thomas Jefferson.

Both candidates are lacking sufficient details regarding their plans for use of the new transportation funds. While doing a sufficient job to describe reality, their descriptions of what next year would look like remain a bit vague.

Both emphasize that smart use of the transportation funds is required. It’s hard to argue that.

Both bemoan the existing problems and espouse regional and local solutions. Again, it’s solid footing if nothing earth-shattering.

In fairness, the general election is more than four months away. Additional transportation plan details will surely come out from both candidates.

And as they are carefully choosing the terminology and fiscal impacts of their respective plans, allow us to provide this one piece of bipartisan advice. Fixing transportation is about projects and ambition. Neither a point system for projects from Cuccinelli nor a push from McAuliffe for a transportation lock box is likely to engender the excitement to get voters thinking about a world free from traffic.

Get ambitious. There are a lot of potential projects out there that can attract attention and get moving with the vocal support of a gubernatorial candidate. For better or worse, a major investment in high speed rail would move the dialogue forward.

It doesn’t even need to be a completely dirt and shovel project. We’d be excited to hear one of the candidates throw down the gauntlet and say they intend to propose the strongest telework program in the country, backed up by the investment of wired infrastructure. And if you’re looking to get cars off the roads, what about a significant tax credit for those companies where more than 60 percent of employees had a commute of less than 10 miles?

Both candidates should be expanding their comments and plans on transportation in coming months. It would be nice if that rhetoric had some real teeth behind it.