Taking advantage of frustration over traffic, some interests have long pushed for an Outer Beltway, suggesting that it would relieve traffic. In reality, most people commute in and out on radial roads to access jobs in the inner suburbs and in Washington, DC. In addition, past studies show the Outer Beltway does not reduce traffic on the existing Beltway and other area highways. The Outer Beltway is, in fact, a way to gain access to rural land for development. Houston Texas added three Beltways only to see increased sprawl, traffic and air pollution.
Developers are pushing for several components of the Outer Beltway including the Intercounty Connector, the Tri-County Parkway (part of the Western Transportation Corridor), and the Waldorf Bypass. The Tri-County Parkway/WTC would run north from I-66 past Manassas Battlefield and run west of Route 659 in Loudoun up to Route 7 where some push for a bridge crossing into Montgomery's Agricultural Reserve. Dulles Airport is a big booster because they want to draw truck freight from as far away as Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina.
The Coalition works against this wasteful proposal in several ways, from fighting the ICC to promoting long-range transportation reform in Virginia.
