Proposed changes. Click image to open the full chart in another window.
Shirlington Rotary today. Click image to open full image in another window.
The I-95/395 HOT Lanes Project is moving forward quickly, with Fall 2009 projected as the contract signing between VDOT and the Fluor-Transurban project team. If the proposed redesign of the Shirlington Rotary is approved, I am deeply concerned that the resulting traffic and pollution will undermine quality of life in several historic neighborhoods in the 45th District, especially Parkfairfax, Fairlington, and Shirlington. The VDOT-Fluor-Transurban project team has a legal and ethical responsibility to demonstrate with sufficient data that the proposed changes to the Shirlington Rotary will not cause more harm than good to our community.
At my request, the project team has engaged in several meetings since early May with Arlington and Alexandria transportation officials and me, at which we have been attempting to address these issues. While the meetings have been somewhat productive, I have yet to be convinced that there is sufficient data and analysis for the project team to stand confidently behind any assertion related to the affects of the proposed changes to the Shirlington Rotary. Therefore, barring some compelling new information, I will do everything I can to stop the Shirlington Rotary portion of the HOT Lanes project.
The image above to the left depicts the current traffic flow around the ShirlingtonRotary at I-395. The chart above to the right was prepared by the I-95/395 HOT Lanes Project staff to depict the proposed changesto the Shirlington Rotary at I-395, including new construction, expansion of some existing roads and ramps, and the addition of traffic signals. For more information about the project from the VDOT-Fluor-Transurban public-private partnership group and to sign up for their official information updates, click here.
I encourage everyone who lives in the neighborhoods affected by the project to review all of the information provided on this page and use the space below to share your comments, questions, and concerns, which will be valuable input as we work together to ensure the best possible outcome for our community and our region.
Delegate David Englin, 45th District
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Please use this space to share your comments, questions, and concerns about the Shirlington Rotary at I-395 HOT Lanes plan. Thanks!
IF THE HOT LANES END AT SHIRLINGTON OR GLEBE ROAD WHERE ARE ALL THOSE CARS GOING AFTER THE HOT LANES END? BEST GUESS – GOIN TO DUMP ONTO THE LOCAL SMALL ROADS AND MAKE A BAD TRAFFIC PROBLEM WORSE. WHO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA? THESE ARE THE GREAT MINDS OF POLITICS? YOU CANT KEEP PUTTING 10 LBS. OF TRAFFIC IN A 3 LB. DRESS TO BUTCHER A OLD SAYING. EITHER WORK OUT SOMETHING WITH AMTRAK OR METRO OR SOME SORT OF MASS TRANSIT OR LEAVE IT ALONE, WE DONT NEED TO DUMP MORE CARS FROM 30-50-70 MILES AWAY AT OUR DOOR STEP WITH NO PLACE FOR THEM TO GO OR PARK!
I live right near the mixing bowl – and although I understand the comments about increased traffic, a bunch of cars sitting still wasting gas and spewing their fumes (more than they would if they were moving through) is much worse. I think we need to make the HOT lanes accessible only to hybrids HOV-3 vehicles, and charge a hefty premium for anyone else – the money coming in should go straight towards clean energy around the Northern Virginia area, expanding the metro lines, employing more people at WMATA so the trains can run more frequently, have longer hours, etc. This area is in a real gridlock crisis – anything to get things moving is an improvement – as long as, in doing so, we’re also providing incentives to be more socially responsible. The HOT lanes are a good idea as far as I’m concerned!
On another note – I’m impressed that as soon as I heard about the HOT lanes, the construction started moving FAST – as long as we keep pace, we won’t have another mixing bowl disaster where, by the time it’s done, everything needs to be done over!
I live in Parkfairfax. I’m looking at the map and assuming that the proposed traffic lights would appear at the entrance points from Quaker Lane and from Gunston Rd onto the circle. *Bad* idea. The *only* way that traffic keeps flowing from those feeder roads into the circle is that there are Yield signs. I can see it now — traffic in the morning and during the evening will back up off the circle entirely onto Quaker Lane and into our Parkfairfax neighborhood where there are *no* options to get out. I already look out onto lines of traffic sitting and idling on Quaker Lane every morning waiting to get down onto the circle. Put a stop light there and it’s going to get horrendous. There won’t be any room to get onto Quaker Lane and so all the streets feeding into that will be impacted. They need to leave the Yield signs into the circle. Or at the most make them Stop signs but *not* lights. We’ll never be able to get out of our neighborhoods; traffic will be at a standstill. And more people will cut through Martha Custis Drive, which is narrow and crowded with cars already on both sides of the street. Same thing goes for the light proposed off of S Glebe Rd onto the circle. Yes, that’s a dangerous area because people don’t always yield to the circle when they’re coming into it (a Stop sign would be better there), however, that recently-congested area with all the new construction will become gridlock with cars backing up waiting to get onto the circle. That’ll spill over into 4 Mile Run drive and also onto the exit off of 395S because people won’t be able to get off and into Shirlington.
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I transfer through the Sherlington Rotary via bus from Fairlington daily and do agree that some sort of change needs to be made. However I doubt a change from 1 light to 6 will reduce congestion.
The current circle fails because it is a high speed circle going with entering a freeway that is backed up and doesn’t accept high speed traffic. If anything the circle needs to be designed so that the traffic is slower and is forced to yield more to merging traffic, and that there the traffic will be able to move off the circle.
Even more efforts need to be taking to decrease the traffic on I-395, i.e. force more people to ride share, VRE, bus and metro. Regardless of the number of new lanes I-395 will still be backed up and the circle will regularly be backed up since cars can not get off the circle.
On a final note – undoubtedly the six lights will happened – they have been mapped so I’m sure the builders want to build them – THAT BEING SAID -> how will the traffic planners prevent people from blocking the box when the lights turn?
I can see immediately that traffic trying to get onto the circle will be at a standstill because the backed up traffic will not let them onto the circle as they block the box.
I concur that the traffic lights on Quaker and Gunston to enter the circle will be a disaster. Nothing like watching a light, far in the distance, go through 4 or 5 cycles until you can get through. I do like the sound barriers and think there should be more — maybe to protect the Parkfairfax neighborhood. I live in Beverley Hills and I can hear the constant hum of 395. Anything that contains/disrupts the flow of noise is great.
Del Englin,
What is the need for an additional HOT/HOV/Bus lane entering the Shirlington Rotaty? What is needed is a traffic engineer to figure out how to control the traffic which currently uses the rotary. Five more traffic lights is not the answer. HOT lanes are touted as providing new opportunities for travelers to leave their cars at home and take advantage of expanded public transportation options. I live at Parkfairfax Condominium in Alexandria. DASH Bus plans to curtail service to our community at certain times of day. What are the expanded public transportation options offered to us with HOT Lanes in the Shirlington Rotary? Some of our buildings are literally a few feet from the on-ramp to 395 North. Increased traffic bringing increased noise and air pollution is not acceptable. We fear that our community will be innundated with traffic exiting the HOT Lanes and cutting through to go to Route 1, Crystal City, Potomac Yard. The two tiny woodlands inside the Rotary help in a small way to curtail pollution of Four Mile Run, lessen air and noise pollution. They woodlands will be destroyed. We need plans for pulbic transportation that will get people out of their cars using rail and bus. I have heard that Arlington County requested the HOT?HOV/Bus lane enter the Shirlington Rotary. Re-building the Rotary is a very complex and costly engineering project. If Arlington wants a HOT/HOV/Bus lane into the county, why not put it in a different place which would be less of an engineering challenge, cheaper to build and not impact a community which is a Virginia Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places?
The thing that jumps out at me immediately is that it’s going to become truly, truly awful to go from Southbound 395 onto Quaker Ln. That new exit dumps onto the inner (left) side of the circle in a new lane, but it gives only 50 feet or so to get to the outer edge of the circle for any kind of exit.
This is extremely, extremely poor design, and probably will result in a situation even more dangerous than the stop sign currently in place for those who take that exit. Here is my rationale for saying that:
a) Because the exit taking people to Shirlington is further north than the circle (and not reflected on the images you provided), that exit is used primarily by those who live on the Alexandria side of the circle. The two sub-exits there are Quaker Lane and Gunston Rd.
b) Because the new exit lets out on the inside (left) of the roadway, a quarter of the way further around the circle than the dangerous stop sign today, motorists will have EVEN LESS distance in which to cross the traffic of the circle to get to their exits.
c) Because the new design of the circle includes SIX traffic lights, there is a significant dis-incentive to go all the way around the circle in order to move to the outside (right) of the circle safely.
d) Because that new exit empties out into its own lane, there is nothing to decelerate drivers approaching that turn.
The result is that many drivers probably will attempt to make a mad dash across four lanes of traffic. Those who do slow down or stop at the top of the ramp will snarl up that exit ramp for all subsequent motorists and remove any planned benefit for having that exit empty out into its own lane.
I repeat my assertion that this is VERY bad design. In an “ideal” (safe) situation, it places a ridiculous burden on all drivers going to Alexandria of making them merge while sitting through SIX traffic lights. In a more realistic (less safe) situation, it raises the likelihood of insane dashes across multiple lanes, which will slow traffic in the circle, cause accidents, or both.
PLEASE urge the engineers to go back to the drawing board and to come up with a design that allows Southbound 395 traffic the ability to safely and quickly travel to Alexandria.
As a final note, this e-mail from Delegate Englin was the first I’d heard about prospective HOT lanes on I-395 at all. Thank you, THANK YOU so much for the heads-up, and I strongly suggest taking this request for comment as wide as possible.
Why not use the funds to explore ways to expand Metro to Shirlington instead. The bus is not always reliable – especially for those who work late hours. This is why I end up driving to work every day- because it is just more efficient. I already have to pay high parking fees and now you want to charge me to use the HOV lanes after 9am? With all the new condos going up in Shirlington it makes sense to have a Metro stop there – that is the only real way to reduce pollution and congestion.
More traffic lights on the rotary will be a nightmare.
David, thanks for taking a serious look at this. I live in Parkfairfax and see a number of problems with not only the Shirlington rotary, but the HOT lanes in general.
Re HOT lanes: where is all this increased and supposedly free-flowing traffic going to go when it hits DC? This does not make sense to me. Also, the lanes themselves are planned to be narrower than normal in order to cram 3 lanes in and this strikes me as a safety hazard. I also suspect that the huge tolls will encourage more drivers to get off 395 and use cut-through routes (such as Quaker Lane), which is already happening in Parkfairfax and would just get worse.
Re the Shirlington rotary: new lights will cause backed up traffic to sit idling in our neighborhood. This is an environmental impact and the extra traffic is a safety hazard. Also, I believe the planned structure of the rotary will make it easier to bring a lot more traffic through Quaker Lane.
We should not be encouraging single drivers. We need more public transit, and yet Alexandria is cutting back on DASH service due to budget constraints!
There is a real social issue here too: 395 was built with public money and now the HOT lanes will be for private profit?
As a Parkfairfax resident, I see the hot lane traffic spilling into this residential area by default. The traffic lights will turn the circle into a bottle neck, countering the existing purpose of a circle facilitating continuous traffic flow.
It will generate a mess.Merge,exit and acceleration lanes are to short and small to acccomodate projected traffic increase especially with disabled vehicles which are sure to come.The main problem with this type of improvement is the collector street system which will feed traffic into system;these contrived and engineered choke points are one of the root causes of regional traffic slow downs.Disabled vehicles cause over 60% of traffic slow downs or stoppages over all.
Dear Delegate Englin:
Thank you for bringing this issue to everyone’s attention. The rotary at 395/Shirlington is already congested. As someone mentioned in an earlier post, the stop/yield sign at the Quaker Lane exit from 395 South is dangerous. The merging on the access road from the exit off of 395 as it passes Glebe Road is also dangerous.
The BRAC installation going in at Seminary Road, just two exits down from the Shirlington rotary, is going to make the situation even worse. The plan shown above benefits only those commuters coming from outside of the immediate area to work for the government contractors who will work in the BRAC installation at Seminary. It will pollute, disrupt, inconvenience and endanger the people who actually live in this area.
I don’t like the idea of HOT lanes for several reasons. One, they exist to serve workers who should be encouraged to take mass transit, which should be subsidized by the Federal Government, since they are the ones putting the BRAC installation in our backyard. Second, and this is not something that most people think about, your privacy is non-existent when you drive in a HOT lane. Your license plate and Speed Pass, along with all of your relevant personal information, are captured each time you drive on a HOT Lane. I beleive that the company that is developing that software is Australian, and the actual software developers are Chinese. I’m not trying to be jingoistic here, but we are talking about government workers going to a US military installation everyday whose movements will be tracked by foreign nationals. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that. I also don’t like being tracked by my government when I drive.
Lastly, I don’t think I should have to pay to use 395. It’s in my town. I already pay property taxes and state and federal taxes. Why should I have to pay another fee to be able to drive on public roads that are free now? It will disadvantage people who can’t afford to pay extra to get to work a little faster. I don’t like the idea of two social classes on our roads.
Thank you, Delegate Englin, for ensuring public comment from those of us who did not previously know about these proposals. I, too, live in Park Fairfax, and daily suffer from the apparent lack of community input on the “traffic calming” in Park Fairfax, which has resulted in absolutely NO reduction of speeds on Preston Road, a main “artery” off of Quaker, and has only eaten valuable parking spots, while also making it dangerously impossible to see while blindly turning into traffic when making a left from Preston to Valley.
Given that that project not only failed in its goals, but exacerbated our ongoing problems, I share the concerns of many expressed above, and worry that this proposal could similarly make things worse under the rubric of fixing them– _especially_ regarding the loss of woodlands. Our woodlands are the ONLY asset of any aesthetic, spiritual and intrinsic value, far beyond any expedience on our daily commute. We are all only in a hurry to get no where, to one souless concrete land as indistinguishable from the next if we do nothing to adamantly preserve every shred of green space currently left.
It was a singular joy to notice a red fox traipsing, apparently from the park and athletic fields in Fairlington, across Quaker lane into the woods of Park Fairfax on my way to work one morning last Spring. That more than squirrels and birds could still find a home in such apparently tiny green spaces is amazing. More beautiful was that he found his way without being hit by a car. But these proposals would desecrate this fox and his family’s home.
I agree with all the flow problems mentioned above, with lights, backed up traffic, and people, in desperation, trying to go around the Quaker Lane entrance via Martha Custis. The worst area to me, seems to be the merge from Glebe road into the circle towards Shirlington, northbound. That is where I have seen some blood-tingling accidents, and is perhaps the ONLY place where a light may be warranted, since the highlighted YIELD signs still do not adequately alert people that there is no merge area.
A large, concrete-laden proposal is not necessarily in order, when a more careful study and the expeditious addition of a single light or stop sign in place of a Yield may be all that is needed. I agree that the addition of more lanes would only be a gridlock nightmare, encouraging totally frustrated people to try to merge across 4 lanes at once, or else bring traffic to a halt.
I, too, am a Parkfairfax resident. In the 16 years I’ve lived here I’ve seen traffic increase in both volume and speed. We’ve begged for relief and finally got a “traffic-calming” project that has made it safer for pedestrians to cross their own streets. However, it has done nothing to “calm the traffic”. People are roaring through here on their way to someplace else, no longer just at the rush hours, but all day long.
I was horrified to learn of the HOT Lane project (by word of mouth, NOT from VDOT, elected reps, etc.). This is going to magnify the backups we are already seeing on our streets. Why is our neighborhood being sacrified for the sake of people who just see us as a hinderance to their commute?
Finally, is there really any room for discussion or is this a “done deal”? I’m of the belief that the horse is already out of the barn.
While I agree that something needs to be done to fix the traffic problems in the DC Metro Area, I am concerned that you and other elected officials are urging single occupance vehicles, for a fee, to occupy our already congested roads. The DC Area is already high on the list of cities with air polution problems and this HOT Lane idea is just going to push us over the top. Mass transit is the only way to reduce polution and get more vehicles off the streets. Full funding of METRO, VRE and other mass transit programs is the way to go for the citizens of Northern Virginia. We need our planet for our children, and HOT Lane promotion only runs the risk of destroying our air for future generations.
I went to the meeting at the school with VDOT. One lady from VDOT was telling me there was no pedestrian impact. After I finished laughing, I explained that when you dump heavy traffic into Shirlington like they propose, two lanes into 20 feet of road, someone is going to get hurt. What makes our area great to live in is the sidewalks and places to walk.
My condo overlooks Quaker Lane. I am very concerned about the changes that will be made to Quaker Lane. Right now it is one lane going into the circle. Will Alexandria be changing this to two lanes before the light at 32nd? Quaker Lane is 30 MPH right now. Traffic already is extremely fast. I would LOVE for the speed humps to be put on Quaker Lane, starting up near 7-11 where traffic speed really picks up. (Cops don’t sit there for nothing!) I would love to see speed humps put on Quaker Lane on the hill heading up from the circle too. Cars and trucks speed up that hill. Also – do you know how much noise a dump truck makes going up that hill? I would like to see Quaker Lane changed to Local Traffic only for commercial vehicles – Way too many dump trucks speed through that road. I have no idea where they are all headed but starting around 4AM each day dump truck after dump truck goes through this residential neighborhood. My unit shakes from some of the traffic that goes by. Quaker Lane the road is not built for the volume of traffic it has now.
One change Arlington can make for residents of Fairlington NOW is to limit street parking to residents of Arlington parking. Right now where I live, we get a ton of people parking then taking the bus to the Pentagon. When the HOT lanes are put in, there will be more and more of this.
I got the feeling at the VDOT meeting the ONLY reason there are any changes being made to the Shirlington circle is to accommodate turn around traffic for the Mark Center. Someone correct me if I am wrong here but I thought Seminary Road was bus only exit? I tried to find info on this but the information on the VDOT site is pretty sanitized. Just generic stuff.
Even though we won’t be able to stop the HOT Lanes project, I think Arlington and Alexandria can make changes NOW to help us deal with the issues we all know will happen to our community. Please Please Please help us keep our neighborhood the great place to live. Take some actions now!!
I am very concerned about the Hot Lanes and their effect on the quality of life in Parkfairfax and surrounding communities. Although public comment is being sought as part of the HOT Lanes project, I fear it will have little impact on the final outcome. I have great concern about the increased volume and speed of traffic in our communities and the threat this poses to schoolchildren and other pedestrians. I also have concern about commuters parking on our already crowded streets. HOT lanes will result in increased congestion on our community streets and additional lanes and lights on the traffic circle. As well, we will have to deal with construction impacts to our community and our commutes while road “improvements” are under construction.
As was mentioned in an earlier posting, in an attempt to “improve” traffic conditions in Parkfairfax, traffic calming devices were installed in the past few years. They HAVE NOT resulted in slower traffic or safer conditions for drivers and have only minimally improved the situation for pedestrians. People still drive far too fast on Preston Road and Valley Drive. In order for the methods to be effective, there should have been several more speed tables on both Preston and Valley and there probably should be stop signs installed on Valley, which is like a speedway. I have witnessed far too many “close calls” near the intersection of Preston and Valley, which has become a blind corner. Community input was not sought until the 11th hour on that project and when it was received, it went unheeded. Complaints and concerns expressed now are unwelcome. This continues to be an example where community concerns are unaddressed.
In addition to the community impacts from traffic, the proposed construction will result in an adverse effect to the Parkfairfax National Register Historic District from both noise and vibration and visual impacts. All of these factors must be taken into consideration.
Thank you for your attention to these issues.
Thanks for staying on top of this. There is a post on FairlingtonNews.com from earlier this week on this issue.
Fairlingtonians and others in the area will be greatly effected by this, for better or for worse. The more awareness we can create about this, the better the final result will be.
I live in Shirlington, and with the recent construction of the Harris Teeter and additional restaurants, the traffic getting off 395 during rush hour even with the current situation can be ridiculous at times. I can sometimes wait through 3 traffic light cycles before being able to get through the light to go straight at Arlington Mill coming off 395 South around 7pm, then you have to deal with people crossing over 2 or 3 lanes, not paying attention to other drivers and pedestrians, trying to navigate the Shirlington shopping center. As other commenters have noted, this new traffic pattern will dump exponentially more drivers into Shirlington exacerbating these problems.
This is enough to make me want to sell my condo (as if it could be sold) and move out of the area. Is there anything we can do to stop this?
VDOT’s proposed Shirlington Circle does not indicate where the Fairlington Historic Area is. We are as much impacted as Parkfairfax.
Please look at the lane widths that VDOT proposes for the HOT lanes. They will be narrower than the existing HOV lanes, traffic will be moving faster during rush hour (at least in theory) and there will be no emergency pull off lanes on either side as far as I can tell. Surely this raises the question of the safety of the proposed HOT lanes. Please ask VDOT about this.
What we really need is dedicated bus lanes on I 395 in both directions, not just rush hour.
As a former board member and former President of the Fairlington Civic Association, I have to tell you that VDOT is quite difficult to pin down. I would like to commend the current leadership of FCA for their persistence in trying to get answers out of VDOT on this HOT project. But we certainly need your help in getting VDOT to explain what their plans and listen — not just record — and respond to community concerns.
Thank you for your efforts.
Why aren’t we talking of converting the HOV & proposed HOT lanes into light rail?
The “idea” of signal lights is that more cars can pass through an intersection safer and faster when the light is green, thereby reducing backups when the light is red to levels lower than they are now—at least I hope that is the engineers’ idea. In practice, I have personally not seen a successfully signalized traffic circle, but the circle in its current state is by no means successful either. Has DOT provided any modeling? They should be able to offer a comparison of current traffic counts on each road against those of the models with the signalization. At least that would be an informed basis from that we could all relate to.
And no noise barriers! They are aesthetic crap. They create concrete canyons on one side, no-man’s land on the other, and limit site lines on both sides. Do we want I-66 or the Dulles Toll Road in our back yard? Appropriate tree plantings will filter noise better—masonry only reflects it somewhere else—allow a better feeling of open space through varied canopy heights and staggered groupings, and offset some of the carbon sequestration lost in the VDOT’s current slash-and-burn on the Beltway.
I like the idea of expanding metro to Shirlington, but I don’t think that it is possible. Why not have metro bus lines that go directly into D.C. (skip Pentagon).
Also, it would be great if the speed limit in Parkfairfax and Fairlington could be dropped to 15 miles/hour and aggressively enforced (talk about a revenue generator!) I believe that 20 miles/hour over the speed limit is reckless driving. People seem to think that because there are double yellow lines through the neighborhoods, that they can drive 55 (I see this a lot early mornings).
I live in Parkfairfax. I see a lot of accidents happen on the circle. Adding in the light by the on ramp will probably help but something other than a light needs to happen over near the Shirlington business district side. As far as traffic flow goes, morning is the worst on the circle. Timing the light to accommodate the heaviest traffic flow times and keep traffic flowing at the lighter times. It is a scary circle when cars are whizzing by and quite frankly I avoid it when I can using Glebe or going to the light on Preston when practical. Finally, the sound barrier walls have to happen. It is ridiculous to hear this freeway noise all the way up to Beverly Hills. Come on, I lived a good chunk of my life in southern Calif. and I know that sound barrier walls work great there, so why not here. It is a good way to keep property value up, protect the viewshed to some degree and keep the area desirable to living standards. Thanks for putting up this page for logging comments.
I am very concerned about the impact that HOT lanes will have upon the quality of life, (and health) in my community, Fairlington, and adjacent communities. (Please note the ongoing BRAC construction in Mark Center, for an additional 11,000 federal employees).
With or without HOT lanes there will be massive development in southern Spotsylvanis and Caroline Counties. Caroline County just opened a large and impressive economic development center. That is where affordable housing will be constructed during the next 20 years. We may see 50,000 more vehicles using HOT lanes and the other lanes on I-95 and 395 during morning and evening rush hours. Rush hour traffic on I-95 is already bad. One reason for that is non-HOV I-95 southbound narrows from 6 lanes to 3 lanes between Springfield and Fairfax County Parkway.
We must have alternatives to the present system of development and redevelopment with the concomitant construction of 300 or more new parking spaces with every residential and commercial building. Last year Arlington County approved the construction of more than 4,000 new parking spaces concomitant with development and redevelopment. So far this year Arlington County government approved almost 1,000 new parking spaces for just three site plans. This type of development and redevelopment cannot be allowed to continue for much longer. We are in a scenario where people drive everywhere for everything, usually one to a vehicle. Our air quality is terrible already and will become much worse. Traffic congestion will become very bad.
What to do? I have spoken to VDOT and VDOT-hosted meetings and VDOT’s only concern is roads and highways. But what is needed are alternatives that will take people out of their vehicles. These include: VRE extended to Caroling County in the I-95 corridor and to Orange in the Route-29 corridor. Much more telecommuting. Neighborhood ride sharing. CNG-powered interurban bus service. Regular neighborhood bus service to and from shopping centers. Dedicated car service and van service from residential buildings to Metro, shopping plazas, malls, etc. Consider that at $20 per household the amount available to residents of a 300-unit condo building for traffic-mitigating transportation services would be $6,000 per month. More home-delivery of food from supermarkets. On-site affordable housing for employees of retail shops and restaurants.
Over the past 60 years our region has become so automobile-friendly that persuading citizens to make necessary changes won’t be easy. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t move forward. Thanks to Delegate Englin for his leadership on this issue.
As I see it, all this does is move the traffic jam from the Pentagon area to Shirlington. What is needed is more incentives and better service from Mass transit systems and routing through traffic, not bound for DC to the outer loop. Regardless of the design or location of lights, etc., necking traffic from more to fewer lanes will cause backups and traffic jams and this proposal just moves it back to Shirlington and allows for even more cars to be backed up. Why doesn’t DC set the standard for urban transport and require the use of mass transit and non-motorized transport (bicycle, walk). If the only people driving cars into/out of the city were its residents then there would be no issue or need for huge outlays of money for road construction and we could use the money instead to improve the Metro system and non-motorized access to the City. DC is unique in that the use of alternative transportation can be mandated by Congress. The Nation’s Capitol should be the place where major positive changes should be embraced (recycling, mass transit, etc.) and showcased if we want to see them embraced by the States and their metropolitan areas. If it’s not good enough for our government, why should they do it? Our Nation’s Capitol should lead by example, even if it’s uncomfortable for our legislators. And VA should demand compensation from the Feds for the impact of the Capitol on its infrastructure.
I am a resident of Fairlington Green and my property is adjacent to Quaker Lane (i.e., I can see the traffic from my living room windows.) I concur with the other owners who have identified the traffic flow problems which will be created by VDOTs proposed hot lanes.
I am very concerned that the increased traffic will negatively affect the quality of life in our area by increasing the noise levels and pollution.
The level of noise from I-395 and Quaker Lane has grown considerably with the revitalization of the Shirlington shopping area and the introduction of new condominiums and businesses.
The current traffic flow results in high levels of pollution and carbon emissions which can readily be seen in the evergreen trees on Quaker Lane. Further increasing the traffic flow means higher emissions and worsening air quality.
At minimum, VDOT needs to invest in sound barriers and increased vegetation to absorb the additional noise and help filter the increased pollution that will come with the increased traffic flow. Furthermore, the sound barriers need to be put in place prior to beginning construction.
While I do not relish living in a “walled in” community, it is far preferable to living in the midst of traffic.
Without VDOT taking steps to insure that the noise levels are mitigated to the fullest extent possible, homeowners can also expect a decrease in property values.
PLEASE demand that the quality of life in our area is preserved and that every possible step is taken to limit the impact of VDOTs proposal.
Thank you for taking on this cause and working on behalf of our residents.
Dear Delegate Englin,
I also live in Parkfairfax and I commute via the DASH bus to the Pentagon daily during rush hours. Having witnessed the flow of traffic day in and day out, I concur with others that have stated how disasterous adding traffic lights to Shirlington Circle would be. Vehicles will undoubtedly back up all around the circle and in every adjoining side street causing gridlock in our neighborhood. Noise and air pollution will be greater factors for residents to contend with. I’m sure these elements will also decrease property values/assessments which is no good for the local economy.
It’s terrific when local and state representatives talk about promoting public transit, the desire to reduce air pollution, and being responsive to their consitutents. I hope you and others will see that the proposed HOT Lanes at the Shirlington Circle does not serve any of these objectives. Thank you for the information you’ve provided on this issue.
== Welcome to Shirlington: The Corporate Gateway to Gridlock ==
This Parkfairfaxian has a novel solution for such paralysis by analysis: simply pay us owners a premium price for our condo units, then bulldoze the entire complex, pave it into a huge parking lot, and allow the commuters their nirvana-on-wheels. With our handsome payoff, we can escape this polluted area and let it devolve into a Mad Max scenario, no?
But, on a more realistic note, I refer you to the brand-new citizens petition that you’ll find posted at http://www.petitiononline.com/xhotlane/petition.html . Anyone concerned with this issue may sign the petition and post his/her comments thereon. — OO
I do not accept a quid pro quo whereby VDOT would construct 40-foot sound barriers on both sides of I-395 if corridor residents agree to HOT lanes. That would do nothing about air pollution from more vehicles.
Dear Delegate Englin,
I don’t think this plan shows any consideration for the nearby neighborhoods. As I live in Parkfairfax, I am opposed to having more traffic speeding through our neighborhood. My building is located on a curved street and it is very difficult to pull in and out of parking places and parking lots with traffic speeding around the curve. I have had several near accidents as it is. Since Alexandria is planning to eliminate the AT-4 DASH bus line (which goes through Parkfairfax) due to budget constraints, those who rely on the bus may be forced to go back to their cars to commute. Now with the HOT lanes and all the new condos in Shirlinton we will have to deal with even more gridlock at Shirlington Circle. What is needed is more mass transit so that those in the outer suburbs will have reasonable options other than cars. What about extending the VRE so that it connects with Union Station instead of HOT lanes? If they must have HOT lanes, buses should have the priority, but it sounds like the lanes won’t be wide enough to safely accomodate buses.
As for sound barriers, they would destroy the historic register designation and the property values of the adjacent condos in Parkfairfax because they would have to destroy a lot of trees to build them and anyway sound barriers are extremely ugly.
Thank you for your attention to this issue and for setting up this comment site.
As a parkfairfax resident I am horrified by this plan. Please Delegate Englin – stand up for us and do something to stop the madness. It is already madness in Park Fairfax.
As a commuter and Park Fairfax resident, I concur with most of the comments on this site:
- traffic lights will cause all sorts of problems;
- Shirlington rotary should not be a major on/off point;
- I disagree with our emphasis on roads at the expense of mass transit.
Please continue to represent us and present our concerns.
If you’ve ever been to the Park Fairfax community where I live, you would know that a plan like this needs further examination to ensure that there would be no traffic backup in our neighborhood or traffic due to toll fee skippers. Please Mr. Englin, take a stand against this plan.
As a resident of Parkfairfax, I want to express my concerns about the significant changes slated for Shirlington Circle as part of the proposed I-395 HOT lanes project.
Multi-Year Construction. VDOT anticipates it could take five years to add new lanes and lights to Shirlington Circle – subjecting Parkfairfax and Fairlington residents to considerable noise and pollution during construction and once the HOT lanes open. In addition, we could lose buffer trees and nature space to construction staging and sound barrier installation because VDOT owns most of the land adjacent to Quaker Lane and Shirlington Circle.
Six Traffic Lights. To accommodate a new northbound HOT lanes off-ramp, VDOT would need to install traffic lights at all six of the feeder intersections. These new lights would create a headache for drivers going around the circle, and we would see traffic backing up on Gunston, Martha Custis, Quaker Lane, and Preston. To avoid congestion on the circle, frustrated motorists might cut through Parkfairfax to Glebe Road – as they do now when there is an incident on I-395.
Pedestrian Bridge. At Arlington’s request, VDOT is considering changes to pedestrian access across I-395. Ideas currently under debate include adding sidewalks around the circle (extending traffic light cycles), lengthening the pedestrian bridge ramps (taking land in Parkfairfax), and removing or replacing the pedestrian bridge.
Del. Englin, please work with VDOT and Parkfairfax’s new HOT lanes task force to minimize these substantial impacts on our community. Thank you for your consideration of these concerns.
Mr. Englin (from Team Englin during the GE I suppose!)
I don’t know if this is the proper place for this suggestion but I’ll do it regardless.
To maintain Fairlington’s historical characteristics, I suggest looking to our neighbors MD for some suggestions on visually appeasing sound barriers. On the drive from Alexandria to say Annapolis, there are numerous sound barriers that would work great for the Fairlington area. I saw some that resembled brick which looked great. Other natural toned sound barriers were also available. Is there a way to relay suggestions for sound barriers to anyone?
You can reach me at michael_b_ellis@hotmail.com. Thanks.
First of all, charging a taxpayer to use a road for which he/she has already paid is a slap in the face. We already send money to Richmond to pay for transportation; stop squandering it and spend it on ROADS. Second, it will dump a lot of traffic onto local streets, and as a local, that’s not fair to me. I bit the bullet to live closer-in and most of those commuters could do the same. It’s a bad plan, period. Kill it if at all possible. How about let’s use the same real estate to install a Metro line to Springfield (Dumfries? Ocoquan?) and work harder on getting the government jobs moved outside of the beltway? That’s a real plan for the future. These silly HOT lanes are just a stopgap measure at best; they will ultimately be overwhelmed as well. Plus, once the state starts collecting those tolls, they will never go away, we will be paying them until the end of time. SAY NO TO TOLLS!!
I am concerned about the HOT proposal and the public/private partnership that will be constructing it.
Six traffic lights on the circle is not a good idea. Using the PPTA to avoid traditional competitive bidding for construction contracts is of dubious merit.
Two lanes of northbound on-ramp to the HOT lanes will result in a difficult merge, slowing down the HOT northbound flow during morning rush hours.
Virginians in the northern part of the State are terribly affected by traffic problems and those have to be addressed. However, 6 stop lights placed at the Shirlington Circle is not acceptable to the immediately adjacent neighborhoods. The Hot Lanes plan for this area gives only temporary relief. Sacrificing local viable communities to those traveling from outlying areas, only serves to prolong the time when alternative transportation solutions must happen. Parkfairfax, which is where my husband and I, and other of our family members live, is in danger of being overwhelmed by exhaust fumes from cars stopped at the many traffic lights; waiting for them to change. Every stop light means idling engines and increased pollution in our area. Traffic must keep moving without stopping to minimize the pollution damage. We who live here oppose this plan. The plan for the Hot Lanes at Shirlington circle guarantees additional exhaust fumes to accumulate in our neighborhood. I am opposed to this plan
As a longtime Parkfairfax resident, I think the Hot lanes will be a disaster…aesthetically and environmentally. I live about as far from Shirlington circle as possible and can still hear traffic noise from the highway. But then, I suppose there wouldn’t be as much noise, because people would still all be idling on the circle waiting for the 6 lights to change, or sitting on Parkfairfax streets waiting to get onto the circle….PLEASE help us preserve our neighborhood!!!
As resident of the Washington Metropolitan Area, I am speechless at the lack of wisdom shown by the proposed I395 HOT lane project. Given the lessons we have learned from other over-populated areas (pollution, noise, loss of vegetation, etc), encouraging and facilitating more cars on the roadway to and from DC is a great mistake. We should be replacing the HOT/HOV lanes with light rail or some other mass transit system. The HOT Lane project will not encourage mass transit; it will only encourage more automobiles.
As a resident of ParkFairfax, the HOT project poses many issues. The hastened planning for the project is an attempt to circumvent any coordinated response from affected individuals. Many of the disruptions caused by a five-year construction project have been stated above, but an additional concern is the safety of ParkFairfax residents. While the neighborhood is extremely conducive for young families and dog owners, as the neighborhood evolves into a dump-off/transit conduit, I expect people to ignore speed limits in an attempt to shave minutes off their commute. As a resident I exercise caution when driving, knowing the area is heavily populated and user-friendly. I doubt drives unfamiliar with the neighborhood will be as patient.
Parkfairfax has been seriously remiss in not publishing DETAILS of the HOV/Shirlington Rotary construction in the monthly newsletter. I’m appalled by the number of people I meet at the busstop who don’t have a clue what this is all about. IT AFFECTS US ALL, and I’m afraid that completion of yet another HOV lane will have the net result of encouraging commuters to drive into DC. The periodic widening of freeways in California has done nothing to relieve congestion—the number of cars on the road simply grows in response.
I honestly don’t believe that this is a NIMBY issue for Parkfairfax: One of the big draws for living in this community is the easily accessible public transportation. Why should we pay the price for the America’s love affair with cars?
Furthermore, as a pedestrian, bus commuter, and bike rider, cutting off access to Shirlington via the pedestrian bridge is unconscionable.
After attending last night’s meeting on this project at the Charles Barrett Elementary School I am totally opposed this project!
I came with an open mind, never having heard the discussion before. But the developer did not come there in good faith trying to answer our questions about how the project would affect our neighborhood. Instead they deliverately avoided showing pictures of the plan, or discussing any of the details about the Shirlington Rotary, because they knew it would cause an outcry from people.
They deliberately used up most of their time talking about broad generalities related the usefulness of Hot Lanes. However they were unable to substantiate through studies or any empirical evidence there is even any NEED for this project.
They are planning to destroy the peace of our historic neighborhood without even knowing if this road will be used!!!
Fluor and TransUrban are NOT the kind of developers the Department of Transportation should be partering with. They have already demonstrated their disrespect for us by not even trying to sincerly answer our questions. If this is the way they are acting now, when they need our help to get this project off the ground, what will they be like later when they have the approvals they need? They will be even less responsive to our concerns.
When we asked if any studies had been done to determine the effects of prolonged blasting on settlement of the foundations of our buildings, which is already a problem and has cost ParkFairfax residents a lot of money, the developers said basically they would do whatever the law requires them to do AND NOTHING MORE. THE MINIMUM! And they were unable to say, in that instance and many others, what the law does allow. For instance they did not know what the noise ordinances were related to pile driving for the bridges on this project.
This project is not NECESSARY. They said it was to give Southern commuters ANOTHER OPTION. We would all like more options to make life more comfortable, but the fact remains that the they have serviceable road already, and it takes commuters from ParkFairfax longer to get into D.C. now than it does people trying to get in from Dumfries.
But the biggest argument agaisnt this project is that it flies in the face of our new administration’s goals of lessening our dependence on cars and foreign oil. Public transportation is the wave of the future — NOT MORE CARS ON THE ROADS. Study after study has shown that more roads do not fix the problem. They just lead to increasing bottlenecks.
Perhaps the most ridiculous comments the developers made last night was to say they planned to hire STATE TROOPERS to police this road to make sure too many people don’t use it.
So on the one hand they are building a road to attract more cars and on the other hand they are going to hire people to get them off these roads!!! Does that make any sense?
Fluor has only one objective in mind — to make money at our expense. One of the representatives said yes, of course, they are in this for a profit. The GREED IS GOOD theory, that I thought this nation was fighting against now.
They do not care about the concerns of the neighborhood. To VDOT I say not everything done in the name of progress is good. Find another way. More and more subway stations are being built to the west so that commuters do not have to drive their cars. That is the wave of the future. Not more cars and roads.
I urge all the resident of ParkFairfax and Shirlington and anyone else who cares about preserving quality of life over more development that profits only businesses,not to think this is a done deal. That is what the developers want you to believe, so you won’t fight to stop it. BUT YOU CAN!!!
I have witnessed the residents of Prince William County fight and stop every planned development in their backyards — golf course, high density townhouse developments, roads, and even speed bumps. so that they could preserve the sanctity of their pastoral neighborhoods.
Now after choosing to live in the suburbs, because they want peace and quiet, they would deprive us of ours so that they can get to work 5 minutes faster.
WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE THAT ANYONE WILL EVEN USE THIS ROAD?????
Call, e-mail, write the governor, contact your state delegates, and local city council people. This is a political issue. We can stop it — by just telling them NO. They want our vote come November, they should put their money where their mouthes are.
These developers must get multiple permits from the city,in order to continue, so there are many ways we can go at this. This is just the beginning. I will be researching every issue related to this and hope everyone else will too so that we can be armed and ready to combat their moves. I hope you will too.
Even Steve Titunik from VDOT said he would not want this project in his backyard. It’s up to us to stop it.
Diane
I also live in Parkfairfax and I am only a stone’s throw from the proposed changes and Shirlington traffic circle. I agree with so many of the previous comments about the necessary nature of this product and the need instead for better public transportation options. Why not have a light rail run down the I-395 corridor? Or, expand the current metro system to include a Shirlington area stop?
As for the proposed traffic lights on a traffic circle (which by design do NOT require traffic lights)- this would be a disaster! What DOES need to occur in the traffic circle are two things:
1) a STOP sign or traffic calming feature to all traffic entering from Quaker Lane to the circle; because of the downhill entrance these cars enter the circle at high speed and do not understand the concept of yielding.
2) a STOP sign for traffic entering the circle from the western end, off of Shirlington road. Again, the yield sign is often ignored.
As for the overall project idea, I do not think sufficient research has been done to show that this is an improvement over the current system. I am strongly opposed to any traffic project that is going to disrupt access or destroy the current pedestrian bridge to Shirlington from Parkfairfax. I moved to this area because I do not like using my car to go everywhere. I pay higher housing rates and taxes than suburbs further south to avoid some of the traffic congestion. I do not believe the transportation goals should be to provide more access to auto commuters from even greater distances. We need better solutions for commuters who are coming from the far suburbs and HOT lanes, tolls, and road projects are not the answer.
I hope that David Englin will take all of this feedback and represent the concerns of his constituents. Please do not allow VDOT to destroy the historic and natural beauty of this area with their project.
If we’re going to be getting sound barriers along the Fairlington/Shirlington border to the highway, please please please make sure they get something visually appeasing and not some gray monstrosity. I’ve seen some natural colored stone and even brick covered sound barriers that look decent.
Will we have a say in the materials used?
Thanks for your attention to this project! I am glad our government reps are looking out for our interests. I was reading about hot lanes type projects in other cities and I really don’t understand why this project is needed for them to proceed with the HOT lanes. I forsee that this project will have a very negative effect on the local traffic in our community. I live in Parkfairfax and use the circle to get to the bank, my salon,my volunteer job and the cleaners. This seems to be a case where the state government is taking over local roads for the benefit of people who don’t even live here. I am also really not understanding how this is a needed part of the HOT lanes project. I attended a meeting last week and VDOT didn’t seem to be able to share why the HOT lanes project needs to mess with the Shirlington Circle at all.
Dear David,
I live in Fairlington along Quaker Lane. The noise from the morning and evening traffic is already a problem that prohibits us from enjoying our backyards because of the incessant roar and speed of autos, trucks and motorcycles. Traffic avoiding the proposed circle enhancement will only make the situation worse. We’ve had two accidents when speeding cars exiting the circle have crashed into the embankment along Quaker Lane. One knocked over the street light. VDOT has not come up with any explanation of how they will address the Quaker Lane problem. We need answers. Perhaps People Power will persuade them to switch their interests to areas that REALLY need changes, such as the mess at Quaker, Braddock and KIng Streets.
Thanks for letting me vent.
I do hope you and other representatives hear the constituents on this one! This is a bad idea on so many levels that have already been mentioned. So, I need to be a bit more personal and practical, this will destroy our community and the value of our homes. Many have lived in the area for decades and many buy as a first time home in the hopes of selling to buy something larger once they have some equity. This shatters the beauty of Parkfairfax and adds insult to injury. The economy has caused home values to drop and this will add another drop for us. How is a young family supposed to make it if they can’t sell their home or rent it because of the FIVE years of construction and then the unbearable traffic? It is not that big of a circle…six traffic lights, are they crazy? Please, put a stop to this project! Thank you.
I certainly hope that the Civic Associations are gearing up to comment on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and are preparing to fight it adminstratively and in court, if necessary. Do not expect VDOT or the contractors to do all of the studies needed to demonstrate compliance to your satisfaction. Citizens need to be vigilant and use the tools the National Environmental Act gives to us. When the City of Alexandria put useless and unneeded speed humps onto my quiet residential street, they did so without doing any kind of documented testing and the city officials involved were rather cavalier about it. Speak loudly, speak consistently and be prepared for a long fight. Its the only way. Clearly, this project would have significant impacts in a number of the areas that must be measured and factored into an EIS. This is a truly bad idea, particularly before anything is done to relieve the existing traffic problems at the Quaker/King/ Braddock intersection.
The TRAFFIC LIGHTS ARE BAD NEWS for everyone. I oppose the addition of these traffic lights as I see no benefits to them whatsoever, and I use the Shirlington Circle daily during rush hours as well as on weekends.
The traffic lights make little sense during rush hours, and they are absolutely bad idea outside rush hours. Why stop vehicles unnecessarily?
I don’t see how the addition of the traffic lights there will improve anything. The yield signs are already enough to slow vehicles down without unnecessary stops (and worse, adding more pollution from idling cars, trucks and buses).
David, please fight for the removal of these traffic lights from this new construction plan. Thanks!
Dear David,
I, my family, friends and neighbors in Parkfairfax and Fairlington oppose this HOT Lanes plan. We will do everything possible to stop it. I will go beyond the obvious pain it will cause our community . . . the pollution, lowered home values, damage to property, noise, damage to our woods and plants and health. These have already by written about extensively.
It is beyond my understanding that Virginia is considering a public/private partnership with a company which is planning to make billions of dollars on a U.S. and Virginia public highway. The tolls and fees from this “HOT Lane Project” will go to Fluor/TransUrban. This private company will also totally control the HOT Lanes traffic flow; will determine the speed limits; will pay the Virginia State Police; and will determine the number of police in place, as needed. All of this sounds suspect, if not totally illegal. Truly amazing is the relationship between Fluor/TransUrban and the Virginia Police. What law says a private company (from another country at that) can hire and have complete control over U.S. public servants?
The gain for virginia is apparently on the taxes from increased gas usage by the expected increase in the number of automobiles on the road. This is against current U.S. Government policy of reducing CO2 emissions. Have our Government Representatives lost sight of the “Big Picture?” We can’t reduce pollution by increasing automobile traffic. We can only do so by encouraging increased use of trains, light rail, metro, buses, bicycles, carpools, work from home and more offices and business in satellite areas around Washington. It is obvious that this traffic plan, introduced by Fluor/TransUrban, is for that company’s profit and no more. And, I have learned, should there be a contract between this company and the State of Virginia, that it would be a sole-source contract. I know there would have to be justification for a sole-source contract.
This company only sees profit for themselves; not pollution for the inhabitants of this area. Our State is obviously strapped for funds during this economic downturn, but that does not relieve us of the moral imperative to do all we can to save this planet and focus as much as possible on initiatives which are aimed at improving our environment. Our planet’s future depends on our vigilance. Our children’s and grandchildren’s future depends on our care. I am confident that a serious examination of this issue will convince our political leaders to head in the direction of working for the future of a cleaner, more viable planet.
Thank you, Delegate Englin, for supporting us here in our District to totally oppose these HOT Lanes. Parkfairfax, Fairlington, Shirlington and other affected areas need all the politicians behind us. We need you to help all to understand these issues; and to encourage environmentally friendly efforts throughout Virginia.
Very sincerely yours,
Edith Lund
Dave, thank you for your continued commitment to this problem: it defines what public service is all about.
Why does there need to be an on/off-ramp to the HOT lanes at Quaker Lane at all? Why sacrfice so much…for who? The existing HOV arrangement should apply.
An interchange design so badly rendered makes it look like the HOT lanes are the utmost priority, and everyone on the ‘ordinary’ roads can take a back seat. Which, as discussed in detail above, will only lead to more gridlock.
I don’t live in the area, and I don’t want local residents to be ill affected by any changes, but SOME change has to be made. Every time I get off the Shirlington exit, I cringe. It’s alarming to swing around the curve with people swinging into the curve from another direction. When you come out of the switch-over curve, you are pointing right into another switch-over. By all means, kill any plan to destroy the neighbourhood, but make sure an alternative is ready to go!
There are many Children, Elderly and Disabled pedestrians in Shirlington. Unfortunately with the increased traffic walking in the community has become increasingly dangerous. It doesn’t appear that serious consideration is being given to pedestrian safety!
I guess one must live here and walk every day to actually experience just how bad it really can be. Even the cars that shoot out of the parking garages(as the drivers are using cell phones) do not stop until they the sidewalk and are about to enter the street.
More traffic will only increase the danger unless it is planned better and it will only be a matter of time before people start getting run down.
Dear David Englin,
Thank you for everything you’ve done and continue to do to serve our District in such bold and effective ways. We are in a better place because of your efforts and are most appreciative of them. I’m sure I am not alone in my extreme delight to see you at the town hall meeting in Parkfairfax last month. You are clearly aware of the situation, you know the area, and you’ve seen the destruction involved on the 495 HOT project. It was very encouraging having you at that meeting, and now reading your comments above, I’m thrilled that you are working so hard to stop this project as proposed!
Certainly the transportation corridor needs improvement, and we will welcome changes that benefit everyone in an environmentally sound and cost-effective way. However, I agree with you that the current proposal will not accomplish that, largely because of the destruction that will only lead to increased traffic in a neighborhood that is not designed to accept it.
When I use the circle to Gunston Road, or walk across the foot bridge, I enjoy the fact that the traffic isn’t impeded by multiple traffic lights, that the roads are surrounded with wonderful trees and that our way of life is relatively calm. This project will destroy that. Please keep working to stop that from happening.
I am all for HOT lanes, and I fully support congestion pricing. I appreciate the political expediency of the public / private partnership, and I believe that it can be a viable mode for getting road improvements completed with less financing pain. However, if the goal is road improvement, it should deliver just that, improvement. These proposed changes will bottleneck the entire neighborhood, confuse everyone even more than the already confusing intersection, and in no way improve the roads.
There is no artery that connects the Shirlington Rotary with the major work centers in Arlington and Alexandria. There will be no reason for this exit to exist, except to make it look like the HOT project is adding access. It would make far more sense to redesign the Glebe Road exit, as it connects directly to Crystal City and Route 1 in one direction, and Ballston and the Wilson Corridor in the other. Why has this not been considered? It would be a far more worthwhile improvement, and given that the Glebe exit is one of the worst on 395 generating horrifying backups at all hours of the day, it seems ripe for improvement!
Mr Englin, Thank you for taking this on and fighting to preserve these special
communities, both sides of 395. They are too special to be sacrificed for the
sake of traffic. It seems insurmountable to rise against “progress” that takes
whatever open space and whatever bit of nature that it can as a right. What
does this leave us? Parkfairfax and Fairlington would never be created again,
too much space, what a profit waste. Thank you for recognizing that we are
worth protecting.
I haven’t heard a compelling argument yet which justifies this “improvement”… What I do hear is that this project will create major congestion within the quiet neighborhoods of Fairlington and Parkfairfax.
Why then is this project still on course? What can we do to block this initiative in favor of greener and community friendly options?
The current circle is one of the only effective traffic features on or off 395. This circle promotes traffic flow into residential areas and the small-business center at Shirlington. There are many more reasons to spend tax payer dollars — increasing pollution, decreasing home values, and causing child traffic safety issues are not at the top of the list.
Perhaps instead of creating a traffic mess that punishes the practical residents in these communities, we push for mass transit solutions — Metro anyone??
I’ll reiterate what I stated a couple months back.
Since Fairlington is a historic district, and since we are getting sound barriers, make sure we get nice looking barriers and not some gray monstrosities.
When you exit the 495 beltway onto Route 1 towards Old Town, you pass by some nice looking brick sound barriers. If we’re going to get any barriers, they would be my first choice. They go along with the brick look of our neighborhoods.
Also, I don’t know if you’re lobbying but in the event costs are a problem, tap into some of that recovery and reinvestment act funds. If it comes down to costs being a factor of not building them, it would seem those funds could be used since they would both stimulate jobs, reduce noise pollution and not be a huge eye sore to a well established community all because people like to live in the burbs.
I hope that the letter from Mayor Euille will have an impact. And that many others, including Virginia Politicians and Parkfairfax inhabitants write letters to support our cause. I am so angered by the Hot Lanes project that I can barely contain myself. This looks like greed to me and nothing but that. For a private company to use the power of the purse to make decisions regarding a neighborhood in a foreign country (or State – as is the case with Fluor) is an insult to our intelligence and our ability to manage our own lives. This design can do nothing but provide Transurban/Fluor with billions of dollars of income over the years and for us here inside the Beltway, with increased air and noise pollution, more cement and concrete, less trees (and therefore less oxygen), more noise, more traffic in our neighborhoods, damage to our homes, less access to the areas across the highway, danger to our children and our health, and loss of value to our homes. This plan flies in the face of President Obama’s policies of lessened pollution, improved ecological management, and improved public transportation. I want as many politicians in our State to please pay attention to those concerns I and so many others have mentioned above, and to realize the impact this plan will have on all of us. How many non-profits such as Move-on.org, The Wilderness Society, Public Citizen, the Sierra Club, The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Union of Concerned Scientists . . . could we notify about this? Is it possible to get their buy-in? Would they take action to help us protect our trees, wildlife, and peace-of-mind?
- Edith Lund
It’s my sense that HOT lanes will be built. The larger project is essentially a done deal. As a Fairlington resident, I think it’s best to focus our advocacy on sound walls, incremental safety/flow improvements, and the mitigation of construction hassle.
I am concerned that VDOT demonstrate through technical studies that the new design of the Circle be safer/more efficient than the old, but the current configuration of the circle is less than optimal. The Gunston/ParkFairfax entrance and the exit from 395 SB to Quaker Lane can be quite difficult to navigate, and the entrance from NB Quaker Lane to the circle is prone to back-ups in the morning rush. The proposed redesign would fix the first two of these problems and not affect the third as best as I can tell. So how about expanding the redesign to include fixing the short weave lanes on NB 395 between the Circle and Glebe Road?–that would at least partially fix the third problem.
I see from some of the posted comments that people believe the redesigned Rotary will put more traffic onto local roads but it’s not clear to me from the design why this would be the case.
My number one issue regarding the HOT lane project and it’s affect on Fairlington: effective and architecturally appropriate sound walls wherever practical.