WASHINGTON — Toll lane plans, road expansions, bike lanes and commuter rail improvements are topics up for discussion Wednesday night at a public hearing in Northern Virginia.
The 6 p.m. meeting at the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Northern Virginia District Office in Fairfax is the last of nine regarding the 21 projects recommended for funding in Northern Virginia and the dozens of others elsewhere.
Many projects were also left out of state-funding recommendations after going through the state’s ranking system, but the Commonwealth Transportation Board will have the final say.
The state’s six-year plan covers highway, road, park and ride, bridge, rail, bike, pedestrian and bus projects.
Wednesday’s meeting is also an opportunity for constituents to offer suggestions about Interstate 66 toll lane plans outside the Beltway, said Linda Smyth, Fairfax County Providence District supervisor.
While Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced on WTOP that a controversial flyover ramp in the Dunn Loring area would not be built, neighbors there have expressed other concerns about construction plans for the HOV or toll lanes between the Capital Beltway and Gainesville.
The additional concerns include the potential speed of cars getting off I-66 and going through neighborhoods, Smyth said.
In two weeks, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors plans to recommend projects for funding through the initial payments from the private company that builds and operates the toll lanes.
Those recommendations are expected to include upgrades to the lanes as they are being built, widening Jermantown Road and other streets, new parking, new sidewalks and a change that would leave a wider median near Centreville to allow for a future rail station.
Smyth suggested that the county may need to add speed bumps or other traffic-calming measures to that list to address neighbors’ concerns.
Additional public information meetings about the I-66 toll lanes outside the Beltway are scheduled for June 12, June 14 and June 15. Separate rush hour-only tolls inside the Beltway that will initially only apply to solo drivers are set to begin later this year. The outside-the-Beltway toll lanes are due to open in 2022.
Two lists of projects recommended for funding are available online for review:
Wednesday night’s VDOT meeting begins at 6 p.m. at 4975 Alliance Drive in Fairfax. Those who cannot make the meeting can submit comments until May 16 by emailing:
- Six-YearProgram@VDOT.Virginia.gov (for comments regarding roads and highways)
- DRPTPR@drpt.virginia.gov (for comments regarding transit and rail projects)
