Saturday, January 6, 2018

Statement to Prince William Delegation to the Virginia General Assembly, January 6, 2018



I’m Allen Muchnick, a City of Manassas resident.  I’ve been a board member of the Virginia Bicycling Federation since 1994, and I helped found Active Prince William two years ago.  The following remarks are my own.

The Virginia Bicycling Federation seeks to improve justice for pedestrians and bicyclists injured by negligent motorists.   VBF supports legislation to reduce the current epidemic of distracted driving, to increase penalties for motorists who injure pedestrians or bicyclists, to require motorists to stop for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing roadways in marked crosswalks, and to advance Vision Zero.

VBF strongly opposes undermining the CTB’s Smart Scale project evaluation process--whereby transportation funds are awarded objectively by project merit, not political considerations—or to exclude pedestrian or bicycle projects or smaller projects from Smart Scale funding; specifically, HB 72, HB 103, and SB 207.  VBF also opposes HB 59, which would require VDOT to exclude or compromise needed pedestrian and bicycling improvements from highway construction projects, undermining existing Complete Street policies and practices.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Recommendations for Building the I-66 Trail in Prince William County, November 29, 2017




click map to enlarge

                                                                                                                                                                       November 29, 2017

Ms. Susan Shaw, P.E., Megaprojects Director
VDOT Northern Virginia District
4975 Alliance Drive
Fairfax VA 22030

Re: I-66 Trail in Prince William County

I’m writing, as a founding board member of Active Prince William, to comment on the proposed bicycle and pedestrian accommodations in the Transform I-66 Outside the Beltway project, including the provision of a continuous, high-quality shared-use path (aka the “I-66 Trail”) closely parallel to all widened portions of I-66 in Prince William County.  Active Prince William, a local grassroots organization, advocates for multimodal transportation alternatives to driving personal motor vehicles in the Prince William County area.

Active Prince William sincerely appreciates the efforts of the Transform 66 project team to develop a concept plan for a continuous shared-use path along I-66 outside the Beltway.  In Prince William County, most of this “I-66 Trail” will likely eventually be built—typically as part of other road expansion projects—as future sidepaths along nearby parallel roads, including Balls Ford Road, Groveton Road, Pageland Lane, US-29/Lee Highway, and Heathcote Boulevard.


I-66 Trail Crossing of Bull Run

Unfortunately, the proposed I-66 Trail concept plan has a very serious implementation gap in the vicinity of Bull Run.  Any effort to create this I-66 Trail connection across Bull Run in the future as a separate project is likely to be stymied and delayed for many years by a need to acquire the right-of-way for this trail segment from sensitive historic federal and/or regional parkland, to avoid or mitigate “adverse environmental impacts” to historic and natural resources, and to construct a separate bridge structure in the historic Bull Run floodplain.  Moreover, unlike the Transform 66 project, in which VDOT already owns all necessary right-of-way, the required environmental study would likely lack the powerful backing of the Federal Highway Administration.  Thus, if an I-66 Trail crossing of Bull Run is not incorporated as an integral component of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway construction project, it seems likely that no I-66 Trail connection between Fairfax and Prince William Counties will be created for decades to come.

According to the engineering displays at VDOT’s November 13-16, 2017 Design Public Hearings, VDOT already owns adequate I-66 right-of-way in the vicinity of Bull Run and to the east at least as far as Cub Run and probably to Compton Road so that a shared-use path could be attached to at least one side, if not both sides, of I-66 in this area within VDOT’s existing right-of-way.  Since I-66 will continue to lack noise walls in this area, the excessive air and noise pollution associated with closely sandwiching the I-66 Trail between the I-66 travel lanes and a noise wall would not apply at this location.

On the west side of Bull Run, VDOT owns considerable right-of-way in the vicinity of the two I-66 rest areas to readily allow routing I-66 Trail segments on each side of I-66 to connect to the eastern ends of Vandor Lane (on the north side of I-66) and Balls Ford Road (on the south side of I-66).   The connection to Vandor Lane would provide vital non-motorized access from western Fairfax County to the Manassas Campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) and to other regional destinations near Sudley Rd on the north side of I-66.  Without any—much less adequate—bicycle and pedestrian accommodations to cross I-66 in the vicinity of Sudley Rd (Business Route 234), the NVCC campus and other nearby destinations will remain inaccessible except by motor vehicle and infrequent PRTC bus service.

RECOMMENDATIONS: 

1)  At a minimum, a shared-use path adjacent to I-66 should be constructed concurrently with--and as an integral design element of--the construction of the two new I-66 bridges over Bull Run, to provide I-66 Trail connections between each I-66 rest area and the reconstructed Bull Run Drive overpass of I-66. 

2)  This Transform 66 construction project should incorporate the construction of shared-use paths connecting the shared-use paths built on the new I-66 bridges over Bull Run, through the two I-66 rest areas, to Vandor Lane and to Balls Ford Road, on the north and south sides of I-66, respectively.

3)  Since the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan, Countywide Trails Plan element, has called for a major regional shared-use path along I-66 for nearly two decades, VDOT should integrate the construction of this long-planned shared-use path, within VDOT right-of-way, adjacent to at least one side of the rebuilt and widened I-66 in Fairfax County, between Bull Run Drive and Compton Road.


Non-Motorized Access Across I-66 at Sudley Road and Elsewhere

The Sudley Road (Business Route 234) underpass of I-66 has lacked much-needed pedestrian or bicycling accommodations to cross I-66 for decades, and the failure to specify and provide any improvements for crossing pedestrians and bicyclists at this location is a serious deficiency of this project.  

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1)  In the short-term, as part of the current project, build continuous sidewalks along both sides of Sudley Rd and through the underpass of I-66, between Balls Ford Rd and Battleview Parkway, with marked crosswalks and “Yield to Pedestrians” signs installed at all roadway crossings.

2)  A separate project to construct a relatively direct, grade-separated crossing of I-66 for pedestrians and bicyclists in the vicinity of Sudley Rd, to connect Balls Ford Rd and Battleview Parkway, should be developed in the near future.  Such a project should be eligible for funding from part of the future I-66 toll revenue.

3)  As western Prince William County continues to develop, suitable pedestrian and bicycle facilities should be added at other I-66 road crossings, including Groveton Rd, Catharpin Rd, and Jefferson Street/Old Carolina Road.  Such accommodations could be incorporated into concurrent road widening projects or funded as separate, standalone projects, potentially with future I-66 toll revenue.


Future Improvements to the I-66 Trail in Prince William County

Most of the proposed I-66 Trail in Prince William County does not yet exist and will not be built or funded as part of the Transform 66 project or as part of the proposed upcoming widening of some Balls Ford Road segments.

As proposed, the I-66 Trail in Prince William County would have unpleasant, hazardous, and delaying signalized at-grade crossings of several major arterial roads, including Sudley Rd (Bus 234), Groveton Rd, and Rte 29, as well as at-grade crossings of several local roads.  With future development along this route, additional and wider at-grade road crossings seem likely. 

The future I-66 Trail extension segment--along Heathcote Blvd between Gainesville and Haymarket—would also have similar at-grade crossings of both arterial roads (Heritage Hunt Dr, Catharpin Rd, Old Carolina Rd, and Rte 15/James Madison Hwy) and local streets and driveways. 

Similarly, the short I-66 Trail segments that Express Mobility Partners will build along University Blvd and Rte 29, as part of the massive new Gainesville park & ride lot, will have at least three at-grade crossings of busy roads (Rte 29 at University Blvd and the express-lane entrance and exit ramps at University Blvd). 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1)   Use future I-66 toll revenue or other funding sources to design and construct all missing I-66 Trail segments, even in the absence of concurrent road widening.   A short-term priority is to retrofit the I-66 Trail along the segment of Balls Ford Road east of Sudley Road.

2)  Use future I-66 toll revenue or other funding sources to design and construct grade-separated I-66 Trail crossings of busy, high-speed roadways, such as to cross Sudley Road at Balls Ford Road.


Thank you for considering our comments as you finalize the design of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project.

Sincerely,

Allen Muchnick, founding board member
Active Prince William

allenmuchnick@yahoo.com
703-997-6667 land
703-625-2453 mobile