It took exactly three posts into my blogging at The Green Miles to make my feelings clear on I66: I'm against expanding it. Three years later, my position is unchanged -- our precious transportation dollars would be better spent on Metro and our existing roads and bridges, which remain in desperate need of maintenance funding. On top of that, Arlingtonians shouldn't have to pay the price in higher pollution to smooth (and encourage) commutes from distant sprawling suburbs.
It's important for Arlington's leaders to take a strong stand. Heavy pressure to capitulate comes from representatives of places like Fairfax and Prince William, both in Richmond and on Capitol Hill, who don't much care about more pollution in Arlington or a wider I66 crowding out adjacent trails -- those problems will impact Arlington, not them.
That's why in my run for House of Delegates, I'm being crystal clear about my position on I66. If the delegate from the 47th district won't stand up for Arlington, who will?
It's become a major issue in the Democratic primary race:
I am totally for the expansion of 66. The highway inside the beltway is always chocked because its 2 lanes were designed for 70s era population traffic. If you had to drive on 66 daily, and sit though bumper-to-bumper traffic at the Ballston exit OPPOSITE of rush hour traffic I think you might feel differently.
ReplyDeleteClarendon Nights, I think you shouldn't assume. I carpool out to the National Wildlife Federation in Reston every Monday and sit in the exact same traffic.
ReplyDeleteDo you really think the greatest way we could modernize Northern Virginia's transportation system is to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to add just one more lane to a few of miles of highway while not eliminating the choke point (the Rosslyn tunnel can't be expanded beyond two lanes)? Or should we invest in public transportation and more alternatives like telecommuting?