In January Virginia Governor Northam signed a deal with Transurban to extend the 495 express lanes 3 miles from the Dulles corridor to the American Legion Bridge.
“These four significant projects on I-495 and I-95 will reduce congestion, improve safety and will be catalysts for economic growth,” Northam said at a morning news conference.
I personally doubt the new express lanes will do any of those things, but they will hasten the destruction of the Hampton Roads area with rising oceans.
VDOT will host a public hearing on the project on May 20, 2019, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Cooper Middle School Cafeteria, 977 Balls Hill Road, in McLean. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the project and ask VDOT staff about including bicycle facilities in the project.
FABB heard that VDOT will be sharing conceptual plans for a parallel trail and improved bike/pedestrian crossings as part of this project. Which is good. Not as good as not widening the highways and building trails and transit instead. This is more like getting chocolate donut with your pink slip. I discussed bike plans in the area back in January and of course any project here should build the best bike facilities they can muster.
If unable to attend, you can still submit comments by June 10, 2019 to Abi Lerner, P.E., Virginia Department of Transportation, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, or email 495NorthernExtension@VDOT.virginia.gov. Please reference “I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension Study” in the subject line.
This is the 2nd meeting on this study, the last coming almost a year ago on June 11, 2018. Anyway, this and other projects like it are going to kill us all, but it'll be nice to bike on a trail until that happens. I guess that's the difference between a Democratic governor in Virginia and Republican one in Maryland. Maryland's not going to get a trail.
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