Wanted:
Virginia Surface Transportation Plan 2035 Input
Northern Virginia’s Missing Links Remain Missing

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT) are seeking public comment on the Virginia Surface Transportation Plan 2035 (VSTP).

The VSTP is a joint VDOT-VDRPT effort to provide a “coordinated multi-modal plan” to “promote the efficient, cost-effective and sustainable planning of the Commonwealth’s surface transportation system.”

The public comment period closes on July 30, 2010.

The document’s existence and public comment period have not been well publicized.

To view the VSTP website and read the entire plan, click here.

Email comments on the VSTP to -- statewideplan@VDOT.Virginia.Gov.

Northern Virginia Chapter: What's Missing Matters

The VSTP states that by 2030, Northern Virginia will add 1.2 million people (54% increase), 1.3 million jobs (74% increase) and 63 million more daily vehicle miles of travel (123% increase to 110 million per day)

To meet this demand VSTP recommends an extensive menu of public transit, heavy rail, bicycle, pedestrian and land use strategies, which is fine except for the fact that it provides no indication as to projected demand for these options, the extent to which they improve future mobility or reduce congestion, or at what cost.

In terms of highway and bridge improvements, the VSTP contains --

• No I-66 improvements inside the Beltway or between the Beltway and Route 28
• No Western Transportation Corridor
  
• No Eastern Bypass
  
• No Tri-County Parkway on the Comp Plan alignment
  
• No New Potomac River Crossings
  
• No alternatives to Route 9 or U.S. 15

Just for good measure, the VSTP recognizes Dulles Airport as a major economic engine and international gateway, but offers relatively little to improve Dulles’ surface transportation accessibility.

In essence, the VSTP reflects the Commonwealth’s lack of attention to the many of the most important needs of the nation’s second most congested highway network.

Bottom line: The VSTP includes much valuable information, but lacks key missing links and the data necessary to ensure the efficient surface transportation network it seeks to achieve. The Alliance has recommended delaying its adoption until these omissions are corrected.

If You Think We Have Congestion Today, Just Wait.
Better Yet, Send Your Comments by July 30th 

 The Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance is the only organization focused solely on making better transportation a reality for Northern Virginia citizens and businesses