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.

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.

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??

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!

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.

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, 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

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!

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.

Will we have a say in the materials used?

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.

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