WASHINGTON — There was plenty of anger Monday night at a public meeting on plans to add tolls on Interstate 66 inside the Beltway starting in 2017.
Monday’s informational meeting in Fairfax, Virginia, detailed with new charts what commuters already know: speeds on the highway can vary widely.
The Virginia Department of Transportation says turning that stretch of I-66 into a toll road for solo drivers during morning and evening rush hours would ensure average speeds of 45 mph, giving drivers more reliable trips.
Under the plan, solo drivers are expected to pay $9 for peak morning eastbound travel, $8 for peak westbound travel in the afternoon.
But during the Q&A session at the end of the meeting, most of the residents, community leaders and politicians who got up to speak said they don’t like the idea.
“You’re now moving more people on to the streets of Arlington County, because they’re not going to pay the money,” said Jeff Parnes, with the Fairfax Federation Transportation Committee.
Resident Sherry Warren said if tolls are added, she’ll just skirt them.
“I know for a fact that I wouldn’t drive on that road as a toll. I would jump on something else,” she said.
A Fairfax small business owner who identified himself only as Rob called the plan a “get-rich-quick scheme,” among other things.
“It’s the mob. It literally is the mob. You’re forcing everyone to pay the toll or go on 50 (or) 29, and then you’re going to have to widen those,” he said.
“This project is so fundamentally flawed that I hope the General Assembly will take actions to prevent its implementation, and we need to go back to the drawing board,” said Rob Whitfield, with the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance.
If you didn’t make it to Monday night’s meeting, there are more coming up, including one on Tuesday night in Falls Church.
