The Prince William County – Loudoun County Parkway

The Prince William County – Loudoun County Parkway

Most opposition appears to come from those considered as ‘Not in My Backyard’ protesters.  They have been effective enough to cause the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors (PWCBOCS) to remove the Bi-County Parkway from its six-year plan of necessary highway construction projects.  I invite the members of the PWCBOCS to enjoy a commute on Route 28 to help determine the necessity of the Bi-County Parkway.  Outside of the group of protesters protecting their self-interests (which we understand) there is NOBODY who believes this project is unnecessary.  Listen to the Prince William County Chamber of Commerce for the economic opportunities and prosperity this project would bring to the Prince William County business community.  Stop caving to the pressure of a small group of protesters, and remember the benefits of residents having an additional option to commute to Dulles Airport, Chantilly, Reston, Ashburn, Tyson’s Corner, and Leesburg Pike (Route 7) in Loudoun County.

We’ve witnessed decades of Northern Virginia residents complaining about officials dealing with regional transportation as an afterthought of commercial and residential development. This problem can change direction with the Bi-County Parkway.  But the Prince William County BOCS have committed themselves to pulling support away from a project so necessary to their constituents, it reminds us of a school system trashing a widely accepted nutrition program because one student’s mother is complaining of peanut allergies.  Again we sympathize and understand those few residents facing eminent domain of property for this project.  But the masses in stop-and-go traffic between Prince William County and Loudoun County deserve local leaders who support beneficial transportation projects.

If anyone believes development and sprawl will not occur in Northern Virginia if the Bi-County Parkway project is not built, we encourage you to read the VTRANS2035 Report.  A sharp population increase is coming during the next 20 years, and our transportation network is not prepared to handle the residential and commercial development during the next 2 decades.  Arguing this point would contrast any measure of clear thinking.  Local residents can embrace the idea of improving regional transportation, or allow developers to dictate where highways will serve future development.

The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority has developed TransAction2040 as an updated to the Northern Virginia 2030 Transportation Plan.  TransAction2040 prioritizes the transportation initiatives in the 2030 plan.  We have studied this plan and firmly agree with it.  It is a best project first analysis of getting traffic moving in Northern Virginia.  It does not consider the personal concerns of voters.  It simply fixes our biggest regional problem.

Read Build the Bi-County Parkway for more analysis and commentary.

Comments

SayNoToTryCountyParkway says: July 7, 2013 at 7:42 pm

You simply don’t know the details, and that’s how VDOT and Bob Chase have played everyone. Please be sure to tell everyone that is purchasing a home along 234 from Montclair to I-66 that it is going to be part of 45 mile Freight/Cargo road from I-95 to Rt. 7. Let’s see how many clammer to purchase homes with 60,000 VPD @ 65 MPH. We are not anti’s we are developers, realtors, property owners, and businesses…but most importantly Virginians who do not like our government to work underhandedly. So, as a Realtor you are now obligated to inform all prospective purchaser’s along existing 234 of this Monster road. Let us know how excited prospective purchaser’s are. As far as a few properties, it’s over 100 properties, the closure of 3 roads to commuters , dumping another 25,000 vehicles onto I-66, and this will do nothing to help commuters…it’s simply a reliever road for I-95 Truck traffic. Please get informed, it’s the best way to be helpful. It doesn’t do anything for Rt. 28. The board of supervisors needs to widen Rt. 28 from Manassas Park to the Fairfax County line. BTW they haven’t even put this on our comp plan. commuters go East West NOT North South…SayNoToTryCountyParkway.

Patricia Van Hise says:
July 10, 2013 at 1:56 pm

You are out of the loop on this one. You are simply stating facts as they are being fed to you by the people who want this road. Namely developers, businesses, especially cargo frieght companies, and local government officials who have their hands out for campaign money. You say you sympathize with home and landowners who will have thier quality of life disturb or homes comdemn. Really as a Realtor guess what you will have to tell potential home buyers about this road. Do you even begin to understand what this will do to property value for existing homeowners? Do you even understand how much of this has been done behind closed doors, secret meetings, phone calls, emails, money promised? Bob Chase is not an elected official he is on the side of businesses and land home developers. He is not on the side of any resident at all its all a lie. Marty Nohe the Coles District Supervisor, his district runs along Rt. 234 there are multiple communities there with families who will be adversly affected by this road. He is also a sitting member of the board of the PWC Chamber of Commerce so his interests are not for the residents in his district but for what he can do for the business owners. You are very mistaken in thinkjng this road will be a commuter road. This is planned as a 6-lane major CARGO FRIEGHT outer beltway for 18 wheelers to get from 95 south to Dulles Airport. And you can figure out what that will mean to PWC, more noise, more pollution, more planes, more pollution from planes, more noise from planes, young drivers and school buses with young children will be forced to drive on a 6 lane super highway with massive 18 Wheelers. The quality of the rural crescent will be destroyed in the name of a few business owners and home developers who see this as a way to make millions. If you are going to post something about this road post the FACTS not what you believe to be true. Because you have got it wrong. This road does nothing to help 28, and will only push more traffic onto an already clogged 66 making it a parking lot. The way to solve the problems is to improve and upgraded existing road not make a massive billion dollar 6 lane cargo frieght super highway through the middle of PWC.

It is important for your clients to realize the existing 234 Bypass in Prince William County (I-95 to I-66) will be expanded to six lanes to allow for the “free flow” of traffic (cargo/truck). Local traffic will have “managed access” to facilitate this same “free flow” of commercial traffic. Additionally, make sure your potential clients in Loudoun County know that Northstar will be taken to six lanes to allow for the “free flow” of commercial traffic. The local citizens in Brambleton successfully blocked the Loudoun Board of County Supervisors from taking Belmont Ridge to six lanes for the same purpose. There are over 10,000 resident in Brambleton so I am guessing most would consider this more than a few local discontents. Loudoun residnets who are buying new homes along this route are not being told by their developers/builders about the planned highway expansion and change of traffic composition which has enraged them. As mentioned in the initial reply above, property values and sales will drop all along the N-S Corridor (I-95 to Rte. 7). The PWC Chamber is disillusioned, if they think any of this transit traffic will be tied to economic growth in PWC. VDOTS own numbers only account for 3000 new jobs over several years; 500 more than PWC had during the worst economic period since the Great Depression. Therefore, it is inaccurate to say this road will generate economic growth and jobs in PWC.

I left a comment earlier and it appears it not here so shall try again. You are off base in this article. The residents, particulary the residents who’s properties and neighborhoods that will be directly affected have been lied to about this parkway. It’s not a parkway all you need to do is check the road plan for PWC on VDOTs website. This is actually a 6 lane, limited access, cargo frieght, outer beltway that is being shoved down PWC residents throats to pad the pockets of land and home developers. This is not a commuter road. This Beltway is specifically for cargo frieght 18 Wheelers to move from 1-95 to 1-66 and onto Dulles. This will cause over 25,000 more vehicles to be dumped on 1-66 now explain to me how this will help congestion and make it easier to commute to DC and surrounding areas? Many land developers and home builders have already bought up property along the proposed route and they plan to basically destroy the rural crescent. Marty Nohe and Corey Stewart have their hands out for campaign money and are backing the businesses who are for this BELTWAY, stop calling it a parkway, its not a parkway in any shape or form. At some point this will be widened from 4 lanes to 6 lane from I-95 to I-66 and beyond. As a realtor you are obligated to tell potential homebuyers about this OUTER BELTWAY CARGO FRIEGHT project. How many buyers do you think will want to leave along it? As for you sympathy for residents and homeowners who live along this route as a realtor you should be extremely concerned and fighting this as we are and will continue too. The fact that the SayNoToTryCountyParkway facebook page owners have to submit FOIA requests to get information on this beltway should concern you also has a resident of PWC. The BOCS has been extremely dishonest in their dealings with the residents and homeowners especially Marty Nohe and Corey Stewart. The improvements that need to be done are widen and expand Rt. 28 from Manassas to Fairfax County, widen 66, bring metro and buses out 66 to Manassas and beyond. Instead of spending billions of dollars on a road for business owners not residents. Please do not delete my comments this time. **One more thing, this will bring more pollution, road and traffic noise, land and home owners will be stripped of thier rights by emminent domain, and more planes over neighborhoods to carry cargo. Is that what you want? I really don’t think so.**

Wendy says:
July 11, 2013 at 3:00 am

The Moyers Team: Dwayne & Maryanne Moyers, Realtors says:
July 15, 2013 at 1:15 pm

These are great comments and concerns. Let me begin by addressing the east-west commute in Northern Virginia versus the necessity of the Northern Virginia North-South Corridor. Smart growth in metropolitan areas includes transportation grids which provide transportation options in all directions. It gives commuters, regional travelers, and commercial transportation another option in our region. It’s a small reason why I believe this highway is the first forward thinking project in Northern Virginia during the last 4 decades.

I have witnessed opposition to the development of the Dulles Greenway Corridor, Fairfax County Parkway, and Prince William County Parkway. These projects were also labeled as unnecessary when planning began to move into development of these major roadways. When the Route 234 extension allowed drivers an alternate connection route between Interstates 95 & 66, there were opponents who voiced concern over commercial traffic and traffic volume. But this has become a by-pass enjoyed by everyone who uses it. Northern Virginia gridlock would have ruined future business growth and property values without these highway initiatives.

Manassas is my hometown. I have witnessed growth since the 1970′s which was unimaginable. I remember the construction of Liberia Avenue was considered an unnecessary shortcut to Davis Ford Road for citizens traveling from the Town of Manassas to the Eastern District of Prince William County. These are examples of forward thinking in our region. The Bi-County Parkway is another example of smart growth.

Major population growth is coming to the Rural Crescent of Prince William County and Loudoun County between Routes 50 & 29. There will be nothing we can do to stop it. Restricting land use works to a point. But regional growth during the last 20 years frequently involved law suits placed against local jurisdictions by development companies citing unfair practices in zoning decisions. The development of proffers has been effective in smart development while reducing land use disputes. But it ultimately doesn’t stop growth. The population increases between these jurisdictions are projected to be 370,000 by 2040. Where do you plan to put these new arrivals? Our transportation grid must have major north-south connecting routes to function properly.

I disagree with anyone who says the local commute from Prince William County doesn’t need an additional north-south alternative. When we have traveled to Chantilly and Ashburn to conduct business, we have witnessed approximately one-half of the vehicles exit Route 28 to access I-66 in Centreville, while the other half continue traveling north toward Dulles Airport. If the Bi-County Parkway connects to Loudoun County it would be the alternative route for many commuters traveling to destinations north of Prince William County. Besides widening Route 28 in Prince William County, the North-South Corridor would help congestion levels on Route 28 for driver’s working in Loudoun County and Fairfax.

I still stand by my comments that nobody outside of those directly impacted by the North-South Corridor Master Plan BELIEVES this is an unnecessary transportation project. Sure there are politicians who have recently made opposition statements. Where was the outrage during the last 3 decades this project has been given close consideration? We’ve witnessed Bob Marshall reverse course on his support by stating, “The project should be on Prince William County’s ‘wish list’ before it is funded.” U. S. Representative Frank R. Wolf (R) stated, “The process of building the Bi-County Parkway needs more transparency and public input.” These statements aren’t convincing enough to believe they feel this project is unnecessary. The PWCBOCS had this project as a transportation priority on the 6-year list until there was public opposition. I could continue with other local representatives, but I see this sudden opposition as political pandering. There are other thoughts I should share but maybe for a later time. Thanks again for reading the article.