Our part of Interstate 66 – the nine-mile segment inside the Beltway – opened in 1983, over fierce opposition from Arlington neighbors who opposed construction of a proposed eight to ten lane highway. Thanks to community resistance, what we got was much less highway and much more nature:

• Interstate 66 was constructed as a below-grade highway through much of the Arlington corridor.
• A cut-and-cover tunnel was created in Rosslyn where the Arlington Gateway Park now stands.
• Numerous retaining walls, the highest at 45 feet, were build.
• Bicycle/pedestrian trails following most of the highway's right-of-way were constructed.
• Also constructed were housands of feet of sound barrier to minimize noise impacts on the adjacent neighborhoods.
• One felicitous by-product was the accidental creation of an urban wetlands by the wildlife "intruders" at the I-66 storm water retention area that is now the Ballston Beaver Pond

What we also got, eventually, was major congestion on the roadway. That congestion long ago began slipping quietly off Interstate 66 and roaring not-so-quietly through our formerly-serene residential neighborhoods.

• One obvious solution is to expand Interstate 66 by adding a third lane inside the Beltway. Those who support this option argue that it would ease the congestion from the Roosevelt Bridge to the Capital Beltway – a segment that is routinely backed up around the clock and not just at rush hour. Advocates of Interstate 66 also contend that the expansion would limit cut-through traffic in our neighborhoods. For additional arguments in favor of an expanded I-66, visit the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance (which favors widening). Another organization that favors widening is I-66 YES Alliance.
• Opponents of expansion question the implicit assumption that more concrete is the answer, noting that highway construction (here and elsewhere) has only served to encourage development in the far suburbs, contributing to the vicious cycle. They also contend that there is no point in widening Interstate-66 unless Roosevelt Bridge is also widened. The additional lanes would also exacerbate noise and air pollution. Those who oppose Interstate-66 expansion urge that funding be funneled instead into public transportation as the main solution to the region's transportation ills. Others advocate expansion of telecommuting as an environmentally- and family-friendly alternative to traffic jams. For arguments against the project, visit Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation.
• For the Arlington Civic Federation view, visit the Civic Federation web site.

Ramp Reconfiguration? A complicating issue is a proposal from Arlington County staff to add a West-bound access ramp where Interstate-66 crosses Williamsburg. WCA clearly has a stake in this issue, since the addition ot this ramp would greatly exacerbate existing traffic and pedestrian safety problems in our community.

Pressures Build for I-66 Expansion

Several developments this fall have given more impetus to the effort to expand I-66:

Link With Emergency Evacation Plans: Politicians who favor expansion are keying their efforts to the need for better emergency preparedness. On October 13, the Washington Post made public a request from Governor Gilmore to President Bush for $3.18 billion in terrorism reponse funds, which includes $130 million for "I-66 and Roosevelt Bridge widening". The request was made to the President pursuant to federal enactment (one week after September 11) of P.L. 107-38, providing $40 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations for damage repair, criminal investigation and prosecution, national defense, increased transportation security, and enhanced emergency preparedness. The justification given by Governor Gilmore to the President is that such road and bridge widening will "ensure adequate traffic flow and emergency evacuation of the population in Northern Virginia in the event of a disaster."

Opponents of I-66 expansion question this argument. They contend that the proposed expenditure would have little effect, if any, on emergency evacuatiol while other solutions -- such as reversible lanes, HOV restrictions, lanes dedicated to uses/emergency vehicles in times of emergency -- would be both cheaper and more effective in the event of evacuation. They note that widening Interestate-66 would likely result in serious gridlock during an evacuation as single-occupancy cars jam the highway. Opponents of expansion also argue that any expenditure of funds for evacuation should occur as part of a comprehensive emergency evacuation plan. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (and the CoG-affiliated Transportation Planning Board) has just begun to develop such a plan.

Virginia Approves Planning Study: Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) yesterday endorsed a congressional plan to study adding a westbound lane to Interstate 66 from Rosslyn through Falls Church, breathing new life into a road improvement project state officials declared dead three months ago. More Information

What's Your Take? Should Williamsburg Civic Association adopt a resolution favoring or opposing Interstate-66 expansion? Let us know how you feel about it. Send your thoughts and comments to the Web Editor.

Whatever your position, consider letting public officials know where you stand.

• Write the Commonwealth Transportation Board. For the addresses, click here.

• Contact the Governor. Call him at (804) 786-2211. Click here to email him. Or write him at:

  The Honorable James S. Gilmore, III
  Governor of Virginia
  Office of the Governor
  State Capitol, 3rd Floor
  Richmond, Virginia 23219

• The Secretary of Transportation is Shirley J. Ybarra. Her telephone number is (804) 786-6675. Her fax is: (804) 786-6683. Her mailing address is:

  Shirley J. Ybarra
  1401 E. Broad
  Richmond
  VA 23219

• The Northern Virginia representative to the Commonwealth Transportation Board is:

J. Kenneth Klinge
505 Monticello Boulevard
Alexandria, VA 22305
(703) 683-3279

• A contact list for elected representatives at state and federal level can be found here.
  
  

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