February 22, 2000

The Honorable Shirley J. Ybarra
Secretary of Transportation (VDOT)
Governor's Cabinet
1401 East Broad Street, Rm. 414
Richmond, VA 23219

Dear Ms. Ybarra:

Your commitment to helping Northern Virginia solve its transportation woes is appreciated. However, a comprehensive regional solution, which addresses the issues of growth, development, and changing commuter patterns is what Northern Virginia needs, not a stop-gap measure which provides a few more miles of highway lanes. Before you proceed with Governor Gilmore's plan to widen I-66, I ask that you work with local community organizations, such as the Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation, to find a long term, workable solution to the transportation crisis.

I-66 is an amazing bit of engineering. It was through the Coleman Decision that this Multi-modal Transportation Corridor and the most innovative highway in the USA was built in Northern Virginia. Virginia should continue to pioneer innovative use of rights-of-way to provide transportation solutions to commuters and residents, alike. Before scarce taxpayer dollars are spent on widening I-66, I ask that you consider the following facts:

• Increasing highway capacity typically has only a temporary and limited impact on congestion. Maryland’s I-270 offers a classic example of a road widening project that provided only short term relief with traffic on some segments of the highway already exceeding levels projected for 2010.
• Drivers take advantage of the new facility to save time. The result is an overall increase in the total amount of driving and the total number of automobile trips in the region, not just the redistribution of traffic in the immediate surrounding area.

• The typical project to improve traffic flow takes at best, minutes off a daily commuting trip. Drivers will spend more time in construction delays associated with the Springfield Interchange Project than they will ever make up from the increased road capacity.

• More highway lanes and freely flowing traffic will not help the environment. Speeding up the flow of traffic may result in lower carbon monoxide emissions, but it results in the increased release of nitrogen oxides, an ozone precursor, which plays an important role in the ozone depletion problem.

Before scarce taxpayer funds are expended on widening I-66, VDOT must work with the communities to find a comprehensive, regional solution to the traffic woes of Northern Virginia. To do anything less is to shortchange the future.

Very truly yours,