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Might contentious issue of ‘urban chickens’ return? Story, Page 5
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VOLUME 80 NO. 15
ARLINGTON’S SOURCE FOR HOMETOWN NEWS SINCE 1935
3/27/09 2:56:14 PM
MARCH 5, 2015
County Board Thinks I-66 Proposal Has Merit Officials Appear Willing to Get on Board with Virginia Department of Transportation’s Thinking SCOTT McCAFFREY Staff Writer
Arlington County Board members say there are enough prospective benefits in the mix to not dismiss the possibility of adding toll lanes and, perhaps ultimately, even widening Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway. Board members on Feb. 24 reacted to a nascent proposal by the McAuliffe administra-
tion, which is considering peak-period highoccupancy-toll (HOT) lanes on I-66. Funds raised through the tolling would be plowed into transportation improvements in an area bounded by Lee Highway to the north, Route 50 to the south, the Beltway to the west and the Potomac River to the east. County Board member Jay Fisette, who serves on the regional Transportation Planning Board, said that while the Virginia De-
partment of Transportation’s initial plans last year took local leaders by surprise, the agency has been making amends. “VDOT was very willing to work with us,” Fisette said. Slapping tolls on the roadway could be done by 2017 without significantly altering the right-of-way footprint, but the more contentious issue – adding another lane eastbound from the Beltway to Fairfax Drive – would be
FUN FOR ALL AGES AT ‘FEEL THE HERITAGE’ FESTIVAL
put off to sometime between 2025 and 2040. The county government’s Transportation Commission already has come out swinging against a new lane, but elected leaders said it might be worth it, so long as the benefits Arlington seeks come earlier. “We do have a commitment [from state officials] for multi-modal improvements from the beginning,” County Board Chairman Mary Hynes said. (“Multi-modal” being government-speak for everything from bus and rail and bike lanes to improvements for pedestrians.) Unlike HOT lanes on Interstates 95 and 495, which were funded by private firms that are retaining most of the revenue, VDOT aims to keep any I-66 HOT-lanes project within the public sector, so state officials will not have to share the accumulated cash. If county officials go along with the proposal for I-66, it will be in marked contrast to their efforts to scuttle HOT lanes on Interstate 395 from the Beltway north to Arlington. The County Board filed suit against state and federal officials to stop that project; while the developer ultimately abandoned the effort, the lawsuit’s impact on the decision to stop remains murky. Arlington officials paid a price for the suit, with the General Assembly taking retaliatory actions that continue to impact the county government’s tax coffers today.
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Shelby Carpenter has the final touches put on her tiger-face paint during last Saturday’s Feel the Heritage Festival at Drew Community Center. The event drew large crowds to celebrate the community’s African-American heritage and enjoy music, food and special events for all ages. See more photos at www.insidenova.com/news/arlington. PHOTO BY DEB KOLT
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