October 23, 1999

Congressman Frank Wolf
241 Cannon HOB, NE
Washington, DC 20515-4610

Dear Congressman Wolf:

We are writing to express our disappointment at your actions over the proposed widening of I-66 inside the Beltway. This plan has been pushed through legislative channels by you without consultations with the citizens of Arlington County, who will be most affected by it. Widening I-66 does not appear on the Master Transportation Plan of Arlington County, nor does it appear on the Northern Virginia Transportation 2020 Plan. We ask that you stop promoting a temporary solution to a long term problem. Especially since Arlington is not your district.

Increasing the lanes on I-66 will not benefit everyone by easing congestion, reducing pollution from emissions, and never attracting additional cars, as some would have us believe. On the contrary, it will encourage more development, since I-66 will be perceived as free flowing and convenient. This will pour even more cars onto the newly improved I-66, and these commuters will become mired in traffic equal to or worse than what we experience today. What will that leave the residents of Arlington? Six lanes of idling, polluting traffic as opposed to the current four.

We would like to direct your attention to the case of Maryland Route 270 as a prime example. MD 270 was tripled in size, and it eased congestion for a few years. But when was the last time you heard that traffic flows freely on MD 270? It is one of the worst gridlock producers in the state. Virginia is no different from Maryland in this regard.

I-66 does not need to be widened. An interim solution is to revise the HOV restrictions on I-66.

If VDOT were to institute HOV restrictions on the "reverse commute," this would eliminate congestion and encourage carpooling, which is much better for our environment than increased traffic flow.

Any long term solution to the traffic issues must involve establishment of a light rail system or Metro rail link to major technology corridors in the Tyson's Corner/Herndon area. Adding additional highway lanes is a temporary solution, at best. We ask that you stop promoting efforts to widen I-66 in Arlington County, which is not your jurisdiction, and instead to focus on better long term projects to manage traffic congestion.

Very truly yours,