14 Responses to What Can I Do?

1. Pingback: ICYMI: VDOT Proposes New Alternative Design for I-495/I-66 interchange | Transform 66 Wisely

2. Pingback: VDOT Seeks Big I-66 Plan Changes and Towering Ramps over Dunn Loring | Transform 66 Wisely

3. The Gleditsch Family says:

   March 31, 2017 at 12:38

   We are very upset to hear of the latest proposed changes to this plan. Our family’s home is already subject to a significant amount of air and noise pollution, as well as an unacceptable amount of light pollution from the Dunn Loring Metro parking garage that TOWERS over the I-66 soundwall at the end of our backyard. We have now learned that VDOT and the private concessionaire want to place elevated traffic lanes behind this parking garage,for the use of high-speed traffic including tractor trailers. Imagine if this was your backyard: staring at all-night lighting from a parking garage the size of a cruise ship, hearing and viewing the traffic on a visible highway in front of it (with additional light, noise, and air pollution), and watching even more TRASH that people toss out of their cars land in your backyard, for you to clean up and PAY to dispose of. We have young children here who will be directly and adversely affected by these changes both at their home AND at their school. Prior to the award of the private contract, VDOT assured us that elevated ramps were no longer under consideration. Please help us. We cannot afford to move, and the value of our residence will likely decrease significantly. We had already resigned ourselves to the initial impacts of the project, including loss of real property, increased pollution of all kinds, and the disruption that the construction would directly cause us for YEARS. THIS new proposal is completely unacceptable.

   Our community is very concerned about the two new ramps being proposed for the 495 interchange and the anticipated increase in environmental and community impact of these changes.

   During the public input process, we worked closely with VDOT to reduce the significant impact this project will have on the surrounding communities, which includes the taking of homes, residential land/property, and land from our community’s elementary school as well as ramp structures that will tower over our neighborhood soundwalls and change the landscape of our whole region. Furthermore, we are concerned that the full environmental impact and the increased noise and visual pollution for the surrounding communities will not be considered.

   The access ramps being proposed were originally eliminated through the public discussion process as the project team deemed the impact was too great compared to the benefit. We are concerned to see them being re-introduced and want to ensure the public’s concerns are addressed in these new plans. A revised design has not yet been released publicly (despite the original timeline indicating that Design public hearings would have been held in early 2017). Given our previous discussions with VDOT about these ramps, it seems impossible that these ramps could be added without pushing the whole interchange higher and possibly even wider. And with higher ramps, we will also experience an increase in noise and both air and visual pollution.

   Please confirm your commitment to ensuring this project will not be allowed to increase its horizontal OR vertical footprint beyond what was approved last year. And that the priorities will be once again focused on reducing the impact of this project.

   VDOT and the private partner have not provided sufficient detail to understand the full impact that proposed changes will have on the project and have not included the public in discussion of proposed changes.

   Since the P3 process began, there has been no opportunity for public exchange and input on changes being proposed by the private partner. Public hearings had been promised in early 2017. We have heard nothing.

   VDOT noted that the public input process significantly improved the design of the project. Thousands of comments were made during the public comment period and progress was made from those discussions. Why has the public now been shut out of the discussions that change those designs and have received no updates on the proposed changes? It is only because of the TPB’s recent call for comment that the public learned of any proposed changes. Greater detail and transparency are needed from VDOT to ensure that public interest remains a priority.

   We are also concerned that during this stage of the project and with the decision to move forward with a P3 that profitability will take precedent over the best interests of the region. (Concerning examples include allowing trucks paying higher tolls on HOT lanes and adding more ramps to increase the private partner’s profit on the toll roads at the expense of the greater impact to residents and the environment.)

   The TPB and other boards should be cautious with the sparse details being provided to make the decision to add new ramps and change the approved plans. Once these approvals are given, the private partner will have limited incentive to do what is in the public’s best interest versus ensuring the project’s maximum profitability. Designs are needed to allow the public to properly comment and for the TPB to make an informed decision.

   Thank you for your consideration,
   The Gleditsch Family

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4. Paradise Kendra says:

   May 6, 2019 at 14:09

   66 Construction Inquiry

   To Transform66 Transform66@VDOT.Virginia.gov, Michelle.Holland Michelle.Holland@VDOT.Virginia.gov, info info@i66emp.us

   To Whom It Concerns,

   I am a local Northern Virginian resident and I would very much appreciate an explanation as to how this project was not only approved but started without any notification or input from all of the DMV residents it will ultimately impact. It is heartbreaking to watch the destruction of Northern Virginian trees and local wildlife, to see our land torn up like an autopsy for a mere band-aid solution that will do nothing to improve DMV traffic in the long run. And even if it did, what will be lost will be outweigh anything we could potentially gain.

   There is trash everywhere, forestry destroyed, family homes now exposed, and every day I drive home to see forest animals standing in their former homes (now demolished forestry) with no where to go and they don’t understand why. It’s appalling.

   How in the world was this allowed to happen? Please show me the courtesy of a dignified response. Thank you.

   ~Paradise

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5. Paradise Kendra says:

   May 17, 2019 at 20:03

   [My latest letter to Michelle T. Holland michelle.holland@vdot.virginia.gov]

   Dear Ms. Holland,

   Thank you for responding to my inquiry. I am extremely concerned about what this transformation will do to my neighborhood. I’m curious as to how this project obtained both approval and funding without me or my neighbors having any knowledge of it. The lack of input and approval from local civilians whose lives will be drastically impacted by this construction is quite frankly, unacceptable. We simply cannot afford to have further construction decisions made without our knowledge and input. It’s too costly a change for a temporary fix.

   On my way to work this morning, I was shocked by the construction on Braddock Road and Walney Park. Please assure me that there will not be a clover put onto our beautiful, scenic Braddock Road. This is a quiet neighborhood street that should not become part of the highway expansion project. Let’s work on damage control of that particular location as it is crucial to the harmony and security of my neighborhood.

   What is the current process of informing current local residents of impending construction projects, and how may we improve the process to make sure all residents receive both letters and phone calls informing them of potential construction in their neighborhoods?

   Also, what houses are going to be demolished in pursuit of the highway expansion? Have the homeowners received their $50,000+ compensation pay to help them with moving costs?

   Are any of the following in the works to improve long term traffic congestion on I-66?

   ✔️ Remove existing tolls on 495
   ✔️ Restore 2-9 hour street parking in DC
   ✔️ Repair roads and potholes on I-66
   ✔️ Reduce residential and commercial building development in the DMV area
   ✔️ Reduce tolls on 267 to 50 cents/$1.00

   Is there a copy of Fairfax County road schematics from before the 28 and I-66 construction (on a website or file format that may be sent to me?) Perhaps also the schematics of road updates in Fairfax County over the past 30 years?

   And finally, approximately how long will there be construction on I-66 and Route 28?

   Thank you for your assistance.

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   • Fernando says:

     May 20, 2019 at 14:21

     Hi Paradise, we saw your note suggesting to remove tolls on I-495. We’re not sure if you attended any of the dozens or more public meetings and environmental hearings for I-66 expansion between 2014-2017, or if you provided your input to Fairfax County Supervisors, the Transportation Planning Board, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, the Governor of Virginia, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Federal Highway Administration, your Congress Representative, your US Senators Kaine and Warner, your local Delegate, or your state Senator during the planning for this project. If you did, we thank you. If you didn’t, please note that the project has already been approved and contracted with a decades long contract. While the construction lobbies (see “Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance”) certainly had their say with leaders to ensure the project is built as quickly and as big as possible, the only improvements to this project that occurred were a direct result of when everyday folks got involved with the above parties in great numbers.

     There are still a few fairly minor design details being worked out, plus the sound protection system. We were promised sound hearings in 2016, but the public is still waiting for the promised meetings.

     Just to let you know, there are no tolls on I-495 in Virginia, except for the newer and optional Express Lanes which are parallel to a section of I-495. But you can avoid these lanes and take I-495 without paying a toll. You can also travel on the Express Lanes toll free by one of two methods: Have 3 people in your vehicle with an E-ZPass Flex switched to HOV mode or ride a motorcycle.

     The Commonwealth signed an 85 year (including construction time) agreement a few years back with Transurban to operate the I-495 express lanes, so it is unlikely that these express lanes will be toll free for any other users during your lifetime.

     What will happen after then? Without having a crystal ball to predict the future, our opinion is that after we are gone, the future VDOT (or whatever VDOT becomes) will either give Transurban/its successors a no-bid extension or just re-compete it for another 8 decades or so, unless some other technology makes express lane driving as we know it today obsolete.

     But the fact is, until 2092 you will need to pay whatever toll Transurban charges to use those lanes unless you use one of the exemptions above.

     For the I-95 and I-395 express lanes, Virginia signed a 76 year contract with Transurban. This means that the Commonwealth’s future negotiators will be saddled with trying to renew or negotiate both contracts around the same time. Hopefully they will do an amazingly better job than the Commonwealth’s current negotiators who gave away the keys to Virginia’s transportation infrastructure in massive eight decade no-bid contracts.

     Note that the Commonwealth cannot widen parallel routes like I-495 free lanes, I-95 free lanes, US Route 1, or the Occoquan Bridge during these 8 decades. Transurban was recently granted extensions to the I-95, I-395 express lanes in exchange for the Commonwealth making a few spot improvements to I-95, but that is all until 2090-2092.

     Note that if more than ~35% of Express Lanes users ride toll free on the 395, 95, 495 Express Lanes, than the Commonwealth’s taxpayers need to compensate Transurban for their lost revenue, per the negotiated contracts. This is what your Virginia government has done, and it is going to get worse when transportation demand increases in northern Virginia.

     For the future I-66 Express Lanes to be operated by CINTRA and 66 Express Mobility Partners, (NOT Transurban) the terms are slightly different. This is “only” a 50 year deal. There are no-compete clauses with US 50 or US 29, but there is a non-compete agreement with the Orange Line which can be extended beyond Vienna/Fairfax for at least 15-20 years.

     Also note that in fairness, neither Virginia, VDOT, nor Transurban have any control over how the District of Columbia residents and their own government choose to regulate their own street parking. If they don’t like their parking revenue methods, then can vote for leaders to change it.

     The Dulles Toll Road is paying for Silver Line expansion, so if those tolls go down or away, so does the Silver Line. Beyond Dulles Airport, 267 is a separate private facility operated by a private partnership and operated by Macquarie Atlas, the principal partner. These facilities have nothing to do with I-66 or other express lanes.

     If you like what Senator Kaine, Senator Warner, Congressman Connolly, the rest of the northern Virginia Congressional and state legislature delegation, and Fairfax County Supervisors have done for a wiser I-66 approach (approximately nothing at all) than we encourage to keep voting for the same leadership. If you want change, you need to vote for change.

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     • Paradise Kendra says:

       May 21, 2019 at 11:14

       Dear Fernando,

       Thank you for the helpful information. I am very new to local politics, I know almost nothing about highway expansion protocols, or zoning/planning in residential/commercial areas. However, I’m a fast learner and highly motivated as I find out that the expansion of 66 was a project that began discussing in 2015 (?) and I never heard a word about it. I still have never heard a word about it. I am now seeking out the information personally after seeing the destruction and demolition of forestry in my neighborhood, as well as the removal of four stop lots which will increase traffic as oppose to reduce it.

       So please don’t be surprised if the questions I ask reveal how green I am. 🙂

       I had a very interesting conversation with my local representative yesterday and sadly, although she was very polite, she made it very clear she prefers the results of the expansions and the lack of consistency in building development in a neighborhood. So, I will absolutely be voting for a new representative this November. Hopefully one who believes that you don’t destroy a neighborhood to make room for potential people who haven’t even moved to the area yet.

       <>

       Yes, that’s my hope. The Silver Line is not thriving the way “we were told it would be”, and we’ve lost a highway because of the skyrocketed toll fees, which resulted in most of the people who previously used 267 to get to work to move over to Route 28. This put so much pressure on 28 that they’re expanding it and destroying my neighborhood in the process. To say nothing of the fact that the Silver Line which was built less than five years ago is falling apart and needs more funding to be restored. This article; Major Concrete Issues Found in $2.7 Billion Silver Line Metro Extension and dozens of others talk about all of the construction issues with the Silver Line. Quality tests of the concrete failed to meet approval, the basic structure has durability issues, etc.

       So, it’s a hot mess that should’ve never been built in the first place. It needs to be retired so we can have our major highway back.

       <>

       I promise you that I will be voting for none of these gentlemen in the next election. Thank you for all of that information! That was a lot of typing and I appreciate it. Have a good Tuesday!

       ~Paradise

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     • Fernando says:

       May 21, 2019 at 23:17

       Hi Paradise,
       We applaud your enthusiasm, however please realize that the hearing and public comment periods have closed for much (but not all!) of the I-66 transformation project. We encourage you to look at the state’s PR website: outside.transform66.org for their official project information. In 2016, Governor McAuliffe and Transportation Secretary Layne (now Governor Northam’s Treasury Secretary Layne) awarded the 50 Year I-66 Express Lanes concessionaire contract to I-66 Express Mobility Partners LLC, which is a consortium of several companies: CINTRA, Meridiam, John Laing and APG. They are building the design that was created/approved by VDOT and also approved by FHWA.

       This consortium of companies will receive the toll money for 50 years on the express lanes, although they have to pay a portion toward other projects, and have already given $500 million to Virginia, which helped their bid win.

       Regarding the Silver Line (a completely separate project than I-66 and is being built by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, NOT Virginia or any concessionaire) you seem to be mixing different pieces. The portion of the Silver Line that was built “less than five years ago” is Silver Line Phase I and does not have any concrete issues. (Phase I was actually built from 2009-2014 and opened for passenger revenue service in 2014) The concrete issues in the article you cited are unrelated to Silver Line Phase I.

       The cement problems encountered are all on Silver Line Phase II, which is still under construction and runs from Wiehle Avenue to Ashburn. There is no danger to the public, because there are no trains yet running for the public on Silver Line Phase II. MWAA’s contractor is responsible for getting that fixed, and we understand MWAA and WMATA are taking a hard line on insisting for replacements. The contractor/subcontractors have to foot the bill to resolve that, and WMATA is aware of the issue and will not accept the project from MWAA until everything is done to their specifications, as they don’t want to spend money to fix construction issues later.

       We disagree strongly with your suggestion that Metro lines should never have been built. Metro is a huge asset to the region and moves far more people from Virginia in/out of DC and among the areas that it serves than highways. Imagine if Metro passengers in Virginia were all driving cars every day instead….

       We are not sure what you mean by Silver Line [Phase I] not thriving the way “we were told it would be.” What times do you ride the Silver Line during weekdays to draw your conclusion? We ride it regularly and the trains are quite full during commuter hours, and moderately full during mid-day. When Silver Line Phase II is complete and open for business, its trains will be even more crowded, including the Loudoun County commuters to Tysons/Restons/DC, plus Dulles Airport users.

       Nobody has “lost” a highway. Dulles Toll Road is operated by MWAA. If you’ve ever driven on Dulles Toll Road (which is owned and operated by MWAA, not VDOT) at peak times, you know that it is quite popular and congested.

       We feel that I-66 Transformation can be greatly improved, and we also realize there are a lot of folks in Virginia that need transportation options. The real solutions for transportation in congested Virginia will be solutions that get people out of cars, especially single occupant cars and off highways. This is the major contributor to congestion and air pollution in Metro Washington, in particular Northern Virginia.

       We would encourage you to attend the I-66 public hearing on Nutley Street and late changes being made to the design of that interchange as construction there is nearing. I-66 EMP LLC, FAM Construction, and VDOT representatives will be there.

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     • Paradise Kendra says:

       May 21, 2019 at 23:27

       Hi Fernando,

       Thank you for the information. I appreciate it all. Am I to understand that this is no longer an organization seeking to stop irresponsible development and expansion?

       Thank you!

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     • Fernando says:

       May 21, 2019 at 23:28

       I’m not sure what organization you are referring to.

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     • Paradise Kendra says:

       May 21, 2019 at 23:48

       Transform 66 Wisely. You keep saying “we” so I’m assuming it’s an organization of some kind.

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     • Fernando says:

       May 21, 2019 at 23:54

       Transform 66 Wisely supports an improved approach to addressing congestion issues on I-66, avoiding long term deals with private companies for public highways, and avoiding taking houses unnecessarily (as happened in Dunn Loring) when other approaches are available. Transform 66 Wisely members have donated much time in speaking at public hearings, addressing transportation boards across Virginia and Washington, DC (MWCOG TPB), writing countless public comments, addressing NEPA environmental concerns, attending an uncountable but very large number of I-66 public meetings in Prince William County and Fairfax County, and much more.

       Transform 66 Wisely is also a strong supporter of a robust Metrorail system and strongly disagrees with the suggestion that Metro should not have been built and should be retired. We cannot understand what you mean by Silver Line [Phase I] not thriving the way “we were told it would be” and are curious what times do you ride the Silver Line during weekdays to draw this conclusion?

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     • Paradise Kendra says:

       May 22, 2019 at 00:26

       Oh, I see. I may have misinterpreted what Transform 66 “Wisely” meant. Thank you so much for the information. Have a good evening.

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     • Fernando says:

       May 22, 2019 at 05:55

       Glad we could assist you! We have been advocates for a much wiser approach to I-66 expansion than sought by the current (Northam) and former (McAuliffe) administration. For more information on Transform 66 Wisely, we invite you to read the articles on this website. It is presented in a blog format, so it may be helpful to start at the beginning. We opened the website back in early 2015 when the project being implemented today was first presented to the public. This was the beginning of a series of many large and small public meetings held by VDOT before the McAuliffe administration granted the 50 year contract with the design to CINTRA et al. Since then, there have been fewer public comment periods and meetings as the design is largely set and permits already delivered, but there are some meetings ahead for design changes and sound impacts. We did have some key victories (such as successfully campaigning for the massive flyover ramp over Gallows Road and the Dunn Loring metro station to be cancelled), but wiser improvements were limited to public engagement. Will you be attending the VDOT meeting on June 5 at Madison High School, Paradise?

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