Belmont Ridge Expansion to Six Lane Highway Instead of Four

I say build it out NOW. The west side of BR is mostly undeveloped but most likely will be some day. Build the roads for the FUTURE, not the present. Tons of $$$ will be saved in the long run.

 

Well,

For those who would like to get educated and hear many others views - here is a great documentary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPS1y81b1Bw&feature=watch-now-button&wide=1

As far as "opposition group", I am not sure who you are talking about. I have had a chance to meet and talk with many highly educated, and qualified people, from PEC and their mission is "
...to promote and protect the Virginia Piedmont's rural economy, natural resources, history and beauty. " And that's what they try to do.

Calling them an "opposition group" would be the last thing I would say. We actually feel lucky to have an organization that is dedicated on their mission with many efforts to reach out to the residents.

As a homeowner of a developed community, we also realize our responsibility to be aware of what is happening to our environment and community as well as trying to restore and protect natural habitats. That is the least we can do.

We have always asked all kinds of questions, requested information to understand a bigger picture as much as possible before we feel comfortable to take a position about what's best for most people and communities. There are many residents that feels the same way about this expansion. Our hope is that all the expansions and growth to be towards building sustainable communities with it's local economy.

This video has a great way of demonstrating the issue.

 

Sorry OYA, but the PEC is the very definition of an opposition group. They oppose virtually EVERY development application.
You have bought the "outer beltway" propaganda hook, line, and sinker.
They've been spouting about that for many, many years.

 

Oops...I take that back....I can think of one application they supported..... a racetrack in Ashburn!

 

Interestingly, the May 2 version of Leesburg Today had an article about this.

It said Belmont ridge will be left at four lanes in our area, and Northstar 6 lanes south of Braddock Rd.

http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/article_321dbfb4-946f-11e1-b52a-001a4bcf887a.html

 

I get their newsletters, and I haven't seen anything against the Silver Line.....

 

I would like to take the opportunity to share information that would help to inform the conversation and clarify the Piedmont Environmental Council's concerns about activities that would affect traffic and funding for road expansion in the Northstar corridor. These activities could have impacts on Belmont Ridge also, despite the Board's decision (which we supported) to leave the ultimate condition of Belmont Ridge Road at 4 lanes.

These developments have to do with two things:

1) The North-South Corridor of Statewide Significance designation for a road that goes from I 95 to Rt 7 and beyond, between Rt 28 and Rt 15.
2) The State's interest (with the apparent concurrence of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors) in creating a major cargo hub at Dulles Airport.

Virginia's Deputy Secretary of Transportation, David Tyeryar has visited Loudoun twice over the last six weeks' time, first to talk about the North-South Corridor of Statewide Significance (COSS) and last Friday, to talk about a new access road to Dulles Airport from Northstar to the airport between Rt 50 and Evergreen Mills/Shreveport Rd.

The COSS designation was introduced and rushed through the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) in a couple of months last year without requesting any input from Loudoun Supervisors and public, per the previous public process that was used to determine the other COSS corridors. The specific alignment discussed was the Tri-County Parkway alignment which can be heard in transcripts of the March 2011 CTB meeting; comments made during the CTB meetings were that the goal is to make an additional complete connection from I 95 to Rt 7 (per the map that Tyeryar showed in his first visit).

In last week's visit, the Deputy Secretary explained how the State wants to proceed with a study to provide a new access road to Dulles between Broad Run to the North, Rt 50 to the south, Rt 606 to the east and the powerlines to the west. He left a map which apparently had not previously been given to the County showing an alignment that is roughly similar to the Glascock Blvd alignment in the Countywide Transportation Plan PLUS another brand new alignment to the north.

Dep. Sec’y Tyeryar indicated that they would be the front group on this and would provide periodic feedback to the BOS as they conduct outreach to the public, landowners and the airport. They will apparently have a website/data to share with residents and all of this is in advance of making a recommendation to the BOS for a change to the Comprehensive Plan by the end of this year. The goal of the link, he said is to provide the international airport access to I95 and 66 through the extension of the 234 Bypass to help enhance Dulles Airport as an economic engine.

There was also discussion of the Tri-County Parkway which he said is currently under an environmental impact analysis from Rt 50 to Rt 234 on an alignment with Pageland Rd, realigned Gum Spring and consistent with Northstar.

So when you consider:

• the zeal with which the State is pursuing the development of highway infrastructure to get to Dulles Airport from I 95;
• the inclusion of design funds in the current draft 6-year plan for the Tri-County Parkway;
• the Tri-County Parkway environmental impact analysis; and
• the new Transportation Infrastructure Bank funding mechanism;

it is a definite possibility that funds to build out these connections could be forthcoming in a much shorter timeframe than previously imagined.

The Board of Supervisors is holding a public input session on June 4th regarding their upcoming metro decision in early July, but the decision to grow Dulles Airport into a major cargo hub appears to have already been made without public input and consideration of the truck traffic and warehousing side-effects of a changing economic base and increased potential for unplanned expansion of residential growth due to new road infrastructure.

These two decisions represent two different directions for Loudoun's future.
No one has a crystal ball, but it's certainly reasonable to conclude that with limited transportation dollars, funding that goes towards this north/south cargo hub road infrastructure won't be available to provide transit or other options for the majority of residents traveling east of the county for work. And one way or the other, residents will feel the impacts.

Our goal at PEC is to provide independent technical analysis of changes in land use and land development, follow the many meetings and discussions that residents seldom attend, understand community concerns and interests on this and many topics that can degrade the enjoyment of daily living. We also act as an ally and advocate for residents' interests that often get lost, or underrepresented in the decision-making process regarding roads and growth and development issues and help residents without losing sight of the need for growth and economic development. We get involved in policy decisions beyond transportation and growth-management that protect and preserve the natural, historic and agricultural resources enjoyed by the Loudoun community. By conserving the things that make Loudoun special as the County grows, our communities will continue and improve as wonderful places to live, work and play.

Gem Bingol
Loudoun & Clarke Field Officer
Piedmont Environmental Council

 

Sounds like some good planning to me.

Dulles airport has the potential to be a huge economic engine.....that will not ask for a single residential unit to be built to support it. And can provide millions more in tax revenue for the county.

I, for one, would love to have easy access to I-95 south without having to go east to the Beltway or RTE 123 to get there.

One of the proposed plans for the connection of RTE 234 extended north to RTE 50 shows the road as a parkway, with no exits from I-66 to Braqddock Road. The road would have protected conservation easements on either side of it. This will resolve the concern that this road would lead to more suburban sprawl.
The plans when this road reach RTE 50 have not yet been determined. It is well understood that this road can not simply dump the traffic on RTE 50 with no planned improvements.

 

I really hate to revive this thread - but Tom Jackman (State of NoVA Post blog) just wrote a thorough piece on this road. Our BoS continue to state this is "not an outer beltway" - but this proposed road is HUGE.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova

Forget the issue with Metro - this project should scare the heck out of homeowners in Broadlands, Brambleton, Villages of Waxpool, Alexander Chase & Windmere...

 

For Sprawl, Against Sprawl....it's all Sprawl.

BUT why not use RT. 15 or Evergreen Mills? Seems to me the impact on current homeowners would be less on either of these roads...I'm sure someone knows the reason

 

Because many developers already own land on Rt 15 & Evergreen (this was part of the Transition Zone mess circ 2005) which would quadruple the cost for the County. Our BoS already started the process of eminate domain for several parcels of land near North Star, Belmont, Gum Springs. The County can condemn the land before developers purchase it and doing so makes it cheaper for the County to condemn.

 

Is there a place we can go and look at the 30,000 foot view of what this county really wants to do with respect to it's land use?

Think TONY STARK, is there any long term view written on paper so ppl can take a look and decide if this is where they want to live? I drove around Cascades yesterday, and if that is anything like what they want to do to Broadlands, it's the saddest thing EVER!

 

look at the Wash Post link and the interactive map:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...oad/2012/06/15/gJQA7kHLeV_blog.html#pagebreak

 

This and Rt. 28 goes to 10 lanes? Wow, that's a major highway.

Has anybody been on the ICC in Maryland? Have you noticed that there isn't much traffic on it because it's similarly priced to the Greenway?

How about a bypass on Rt. 28 past Manassas? Looks like these roads will run parallel on either side of the airport.

 

Its been in the plans for years- Most Brambleton Residents certainly knows of its intentions and in fact I expect would be well received as it would divert a significant amount of traffic off of the existing nightmare of Belmont Ridge Road, south of Briar Woods. The only people who may not like it, would be to the west of Northstar, where quite frankly little development has only occurred (approx 30 townhomeS) Those townhomes were built in the last year or so though and this proposal has been there long before.

 

An article in the Post this morning on the "Corridor of Significance"...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...oversial-road/2012/06/15/gJQA7kHLeV_blog.html

 

Actually, that one appeared on Friday. This morning's version in the Metro section is attached.