Transiters has joined an ad-hoc group, the I66 Corridor Coalition, to send the following letter to the Virginia Secretary of Transportation on April 21, 2015 (.pdf below):

The Honorable Aubrey L. Layne, Jr.
Secretary of Transportation
Patrick Henry Building
1111 East Broad Street, Third Floor
Richmond, Virginia 23218 BY U.S. MAIL AND E-MAIL

RE: I-66 Corridor Transportation Solutions

Dear Secretary Layne:

The recently formed I-66 Corridor Coalition shares many of the concerns expressed by U.S. Representatives Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Rob Wittman (VA-1), Don Beyer (VA-8), and Barbara Comstock (VA-10) in their recent joint letter to you on this subject. We commend their engagement in the planning for I-66 and we pledge to work with you, the delegation, VDOT, DRPT, and other partners and community members to develop and implement the best possible plan for communities and transportation in the I-66 corridor.

The I-66 Corridor Coalition is an alliance of environmental, transit, smart growth and bike advocates, residents, and community groups. We call for a more comprehensive analysis of the I-66 corridor that evaluates a full range of alternatives. We ask that I-66 be treated as part of a broader approach that addresses transportation, transit-oriented development, and neighborhood and environmental issues. We urge VDOT to plan for the future by using current projections on demographics, employment, transportation trends, and emerging choices in residence patterns.

We will support Virginia’s efforts to implement long-term solutions to transportation requirements in the I-66 corridor by working with local, county, state, federal, and NGO entities to incorporate high-capacity transit, improved biking and walking connections, and land use scenarios for more compact, mixed-use communities linked to transit and the preservation of existing contiguous neighborhoods. This approach addresses traffic congestion while maximizing value to taxpayers and reducing disruption of communities and our environment.

The I-66 project will have significant impacts on area transit, the environment, development and communities in the area, strongly influencing where and how we grow for the next 50 years, just as Metro and the Beltway have for the last 50. This is our opportunity to collaborate on a plan for better transit, a healthy environment, and livable communities, and we should invest the time and resources necessary to ensure we do it right. Therefore, we ask you to reopen the Tier 1 study on I-66 Outside the Beltway, to allow development of a better plan for the I-66 corridor.

Sincerely,

Douglas Stewart, Smart Growth and Transportation Chair, Sierra Club, Virginia Chapter
Tania Hossain, President, Providence District Council
Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth
Stuart M Whitaker, Founder, Transiters.com
Sonya Breehey, Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling
Kris Unger, Primary Conservator, Friends of Accotink Creek