Revised April 19, 2005

WHEREAS, 30 years ago, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) did not approve the Commonwealth of Virginia’s proposal to build a six-and-eight-lane I-66 between I-495 and Rosslyn; and

WHEREAS, in 1977, the USDOT reversed its earlier decision that I-66 should not be built between I-495 and Rosslyn, by authorizing under the “Coleman Decision” the construction of a four-lane multimodal facility, with management controls and other improvements; and

WHEREAS, almost immediately after I-66 opened to traffic in 1982, I-66 experienced congestion during non-High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) hours; and

WHEREAS, in the 1980s, the segment of I-66 between the Dulles Connector and East Falls Church was widened from two to three lanes in each direction, yet this widening did not resolve congestion; and

WHEREAS, the absence of congestion during current hours of HOV incentives demonstrates the effectiveness of these incentives in terms of easing congestion; and

WHEREAS, in 2003, Governor Warner, at the request of Representatives Wolf and Davis, directed the initiation of the Idea -66 I-66 Inside the Beltway Feasibility Study of westbound I-66 between the Rosslyn Tunnel and the Dulles Connector; and stipulated that recommended improvements be located within existing right–of-way; and

WHEREAS, the study contains obvious errors in depicting the right-of-way boundaries, showing in the vicinity of North Adams Street and McCoy Park virtually the entire existing highway outside the right-of-way, and showing the National Park Service’s Spout Run Parkway (a National Park) right-of-way as I-66 right-of-way; and

WHEREAS, the inaccurate right-of-way boundaries shown in the study render it impossible to determine whether widening and a continuous shoulder for emergency response can be accomplished within the limits of existing right-of-way, as Governor Warner has stipulated; and

WHEREAS, in the wake of 9/11, ensuring rapid emergency response capabilities is critical to public health and safety and the study did not demonstrate whether the recommended alternatives provide the additional capacity needed for an emergency evacuation; and

WHEREAS, the presence of a continuous eight-to-twelve-foot shoulder for emergency and breakdown vehicles is preferred for traffic operations; and

WHEREAS, the three priority criteria as recommended by the study (easing congestion, supporting the economic viability of the Dulles Corridor, and emergency evacuation) do not reflect the broad range of criteria that the public process and telephone survey generated, nor the priorities of the Arlington community that makes up most of the study corridor; and

WHEREAS, the recommended alternatives are not responsive to the public’s top-choice solution to congestion according to the study’s customer poll: to implement bus and/or rail transit improvements; and

WHEREAS, rail to Dulles has been promoted as a key to Dulles corridor viability, yet the study does not address physical and right-of-way compatibility with Metro’s future plans; and

WHEREAS, the economic viability of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and livability of Northern Arlington are important criteria, just like the economic viability of the Dulles Corridor; and

WHEREAS, the five favored alternatives, all of which feature road widening, and only one of which specifies transit priority, do not provide the multimodal emphasis consistent with reasonable transportation planning alternatives; and

WHEREAS, the Idea-66 technical analysis concludes that the congestion-relief benefits of already planned improvements such as HOV-3 and Dulles Rail are much greater than the congestion-relief benefits of widening I-66 westbound for 6.5 miles; and

WHEREAS, the five recommended alternatives cost an estimated $112 million - $233 million that could be used for multimodal improvements;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE COUNTY BOARD OF ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, HEREBY:

• Requests that the Virginia Secretary of Transportation and VDOT, before initiating the National Environmental Policy Act process, work with the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, in concert with the Federal Transit Administration, to conduct a second phase of the Idea-66 study to complete the multimodal feasibility analysis;
• Requests that transit alternatives including rail expansion be studied in combination with management alternatives; and,
• Requests that in the interim, prior to funding larger capital improvements, VDOT implement relatively low-cost, traffic-operation solutions such as HOV-3, reverse-commute HOV, HOV enforcement and transportation-demand-management programs.
• Requests that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Arlington County’s Fire, Police, and Emergency Rescue Departments conduct an emergency evacuation feasibility analysis as part of this second phase;
• Requests that this second-phase effort correct and clarify the right-of-way boundaries that are critical to determining the physical feasibility of roadway shoulders, Dulles rail, and any widening within the space available as stipulated by Governor Warner;
• Requests that future I-66 corridor problem statements and priority criteria emphasize maximizing person throughput, versus easing congestion;
• Requests that future I-66 corridor problem statements and priority criteria emphasize enhancing community livability and broader economic viability, in addition to the Dulles Corridor;
• Requests that future I-66 corridor problem statements and priority criteria emphasize providing a continuous shoulder and every-day-emergency-and-incident-response capabilities, in addition to, or in lieu of, planning for a possible evacuation.