BiCounty Parkway Updates
(also known as the Tri-County Parkway, Northern Extension to Rte 234, Outer Beltway)
 April 26 2014-- Virginia has a new governor and a new Secretary of Transportation - but the pressure to build the Bi-County Parkway continues.
Governor McAuliffe has announced that he still likes the concept of building the road. When he visited Manassas on Earth Day on April 22, the Governor heard from the executives at Micron that they supported the road. Source: "McAuliffe: 'I have no say' on future of Bi-County Parkway" at InsideNOVA.
Micron ships computer chips produced on Godwin Drive via Dulles airport, so the $400-500 million road would facilitate Micron's shipping of one truck per day to Dulles.
Do the math: Would you rather spend $400-500 million in tax dollars to fix congestion for Prince William commuters, or subsidize One...Truck...Per...Day for companies like Micron?
VDOT is receiving public comments now on its Six Year Plan, which includes continued funding. You can send your comments now HERE and contact the governor HERE.
September 20 2013 -- Before the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) can move forward of funding/building the Bi-County Highway, the Environmental Impact Statement must be finalized. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) must approve the analysis of alternatives and concur that the impacts of the new road have been considered.
Assessment of the impacts to historical resources, and mitigation to the extent feasible, will be finalized first through approval of a document called a Section 106 Programmatic Agreement. It refers to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Five agencies are negotiating the Programmatic Agreement for the Bi-County Highway - VDOT, FHWA, the National Park Service (NPS), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), and the Virginia State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO).
The most-recent third draft was issued for comment on August 9, 2013. It incorporated substantial revisions in the project proposal, including VDOT's commitment to keep Pageland Road open for through traffic.
In addition to the five "signatory" agencies, "consulting parties" are also invited to participate in the negotiations to identify concerns and suggest ways to address them. In the last few months, landowners affected by the proposed Bi-County Highway (including Sudley United Methodist Church) have become actively involved in the Section 106 negotiations.
Consulting parties get to contribute ideas, but in the end only the five "signatory agencies" must agree to the language.
No agency gets a simple veto in the Section 106 process. If one or more agencies will not sign the final Programmatic Agreement, there is a dispute resolution process that could ultimately allow construction of the road.
Other parties, include Prince William and Loudoun counties, could sign the Programmatic Agreement. Signing would legally bind the counties to commitments they might make in the document, such as zoning conditions along the corridor to mitigate impacts. Prince William officials are participating in the negotiations, but the Board of County Supervisors has not indicated an interest in making any binding commitments.
After a marathon all-day discussion on September 5, the five agencies will accept comments from the consulting parties until September 17. The five agencies could conclude that the latest comments do not require any revision and sign the third draft as currently written, but the consulting parties expect to see a fourth draft with clarifications/revisions that respond to their comments.
To ensure that everyone can comment on the revised plans for the Bi-County Highway, including issues other than historic preservation, VDOT is scheduling more public meetings for late September/early October.
June 4, 2013 -- The proposed Bi-County Parkway, extending Route 234 Bypass north through the western edge of Manassas Battlefield to Route 50 in Loudoun County, has triggered strong opposition.
A large crowd at the May 21 Board of County Supervisors meeting forced a delay (at least) of the county's proposed endorsement of the road in the state Six-Year Improvement Program, which shapes future funding. Last night, over 500 people attended a public meeting at the Hylton Center sponsored by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). It was a rough night for VDOT, and advocates of the Bi-County Parkway stayed mute.
May 22, 2013 -- Prince William County Supervisors were poised to request construction of the Bi-County Parkway at their May 21 meeting with their vote on Item 10-C, which establishes the County's project list for VDOT and NoVA Transportation Authority. However, no action was taken and the issue was deferred to a future meeting, pending additional information from VDOT.
Local decision makers have a chance to back up their smart growth rhetoric with action at their May 21 meeting.
Will they direct public investments to areas targeted for growth, east Prince William including the Rte 1 corridor, encouraging economic development? Or support a billion dollar road that adds infrastructure to low-density areas, such as the Rural Crescent, encouraging more sprawl development, a primary source of traffic congestion? |