Issue Position: Community Concerns

Issue Position

Commitment

Every person I've worked alongside, all the residents who've shared their concerns when I've knocked their doors, each experience of daily living over the 40 years I've lived here in Fairfax County will continue to shape my legislative agenda. I remain committed to the hard work and constant learning it takes to develop effective solutions.

Both Springfield and Annandale are places of great stability where many people have lived in the same home 30, 40, 50 years, and more. They also are places undergoing significant change. State laws need to accommodate positive cultural differences that will strengthen our communities. However, there is also great need for state, local and federal officials to work cooperatively to protect public safety and the values that make our communities such great places to do business and raise a family.

Like most Northern Virginians, we are very concerned about congestion, over-crowded and aging transit, intersection safety, cut-through traffic, and lack of basic maintenance. However, communities throughout the 39th also are directly impacted by the construction of regional megaprojects.

The 39th House District bears the direct brunt of 25% of the Beltway HOT Lane construction, Engineering Proving Grounds access for 8,500 transferred workers, Fairfax County Parkway completion, and now the proposed I-95/395 HOT Lanes construction from Landmark to Lorton.

I-95/395 HOT LANES

First, the good news: VDOT proposes to add a lane from the 236 ramp to Seminary Rd, which even now is a long-standing bottle neck. There has also been progress on soundwall design-decisions to protect communities between Edsall Road and 236.

Now, the bad news: The I-395/95 HOT Lanes are planned to stop short of the Mark Center. Those doing business with DoD at Mark Center and the 6,400 DoD employees not in 3-person carpools, vanpools, or buses will have to exit the HOT Lanes over 2 miles short of the exit ramp at Seminary Road.

Even though the Virginia Secretary of Transportation's 2/4/11 announcement that the HOT Lanes would proceed referred to terminating them at Edsall Road (http://www2.insidenova.com/mgmedia/file/92/virginia-transportation-secretary-sean-connaughton/) many citizens and elected officials missed that part of his message. They assumed, if it still made sense to go ahead despite Arlington's suit against building the HOT lanes to the Potomac, surely relieving BRAC congestion was the big reason why.

It appears the City of Alexandria holds the key to the regional transportation challenge of reducing Mark Center congestion. The HOT lanes require federal approval, which is tied to the approval of the COG's Transportation Planning Board. State officials fear Alexandria will block approval of addressing the regional traffic impact of BRAC and further delay or end the project.

Terminating at Edsall Road in Fairfax County, not only raises safety and congestion issues as cars must merge with commuters coming from the south, it will cost the State. The less toll revenue to the private operators, the larger the state subsidy required to make the project financially attractive to private investors. State construction money diverted to the HOT Lanes further depletes funds for smaller projects and maintenance.

SPRINGFIELD RE-DEVELOPMENT

A large number of private contractor support jobs will follow the shift in defense personnel. Supervisor McKay is determined to make the Springfield Mall property a quality, urban, transit-oriented re-development, which will include Class-A office space and walk-to Metro highrise residential units. Senator Barker and I got VDOT approval process to fully consider the role of the existing transit and interstate network in diverting and/or shortening worktrips. My 2010 bill further opened the door to pedestrian-friendly urban road design standards to improve Metro station access.

Spring Village Dr / Bonniemill -- When the Fairfax Parkway was built over 20 years ago, it was determined that a grade-separated intersection was needed for the safety of existing neighborhoods. With over 2000 residents now in Greenspring Village, it is even more critical and changes related to EPG and extension of the Parkway. The re-signage to improve the safety of left turns across 4 lanes of on-coming traffic is a poor substitute for what should be done

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