Alexandria residents who have assailed the proposed high-occupancy toll lanes on Interstate 95 and 395 have persuaded the City Council to formally denounce the project.
“This is an issue we’re all concerned with,” Mayor William D. “Bill” Euille told residents at a recent public hearing.
Euille assured the public that the council has consistently been engaged on the issue.
“Any accusation that this body has been asleep at the wheel is completely erroneous,” he said.
Euille wrote a letter in July to Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer describing a June meeting with the Parkfairfax Condominium Board of Directors, which more than 250 people attended.
“In nearly 3 decades of public service, I have rarely witnessed a gathering as large as this with such raw emotions and intense concerns,” he wrote.
Alice Cave, the secretary of the Board of Directors of Parkfairfax, urged the council to pass a strong resolution opposing the project, and to consider any legal remedies at its disposal.
Another argument levied against the project is that it would increase congestion in the area, rather than decrease the already packed Interstate 95-395 corridor.
“The HOT lanes encourage single-occupancy drivers,” said Greg Cota, another Parkfairfax resident.
A major sticking point was the potential negative environmental effect on the area. The Federal Highway Administration issued a categorical exclusion for the project, which allowed the Virginia Department of Transportation to bypass an environmental study before starting the project.
But Alexandria has prepared a proposal for the 2010 General Assembly that would direct VDOT to undertake any studies related to the Federal National Environmental Policy Act that would have been required if the exclusion weren’t granted. The council is also set to vote on a resolution that “strongly opposes” the project as currently proposed.
Legal action related to the project has been a thorny issue for surrounding jurisdictions. Arlington County filed a lawsuit against the commonwealth and the federal government in August. Fairfax County has since supported the project, and Prince William County has declined to join Arlington’s lawsuit.
