The massive number of public comments submitted — totalling 1200 pages which ran over two to one against VDOT”s current 495 Southside Toll Lanes proposal – showed the broad public support for Metrorail and TOD and concerns about the toll lanes. However, the resolution to add the 495 Toll Lanes Southside project to the Visualize 2050 draft list of projects lacks firm commitments for VDOT to study alternatives to highway widening with HOT lanes, and leaves at risk future Metrorail on the Wilson Bridge.
Tag: 495 southside
CSG in the News: the flawed 495 Southside Express Lanes
The VDOT proposal to widen I-495 for toll lanes from Springfield across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge into Maryland would take bridge space reserved for Metrorail, create a traffic bottleneck in Prince George’s, and congest connecting roads. With so many questions, we’re asking officials to keep the VDOT proposal out of regional plans.
Letter: 495 Southside (Oppose, Regional/Fairfax County)
The Coalition for Smarter Growth respectfully asks Transportation Planning board officials to: 1) Vote to exclude the 495 Southside Project from the Visualize 2050 plan and air quality conformity analysis due to the strong concerns of multiple local jurisdictions that have not been adequately addressed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and 2) Ensure that VDOT fixes its flawed 495 Southside Study to fully evaluate other alternatives, address local jurisdiction concerns, and identify the best long-term solution for the region and communities along 495.
PRESS RELEASE: Bias in VDOT 495 Southside Study
“VDOT’s study is inherently biased because they determine their own conclusion even before doing detailed study. By defining the Purpose to be “extend the express toll lanes,” they are intentionally foreclosing other options,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
TAKE ACTION: These two projects would put Prince George’s on the wrong road
We have two urgent actions we need you to take. Two massive road projects would undermine a sustainable and prosperous future for Prince George’s County.