State Seeks Public Input on I-66 Project Outside Beltway

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Release: Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)

At four upcoming public hearings, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) will ask for input on the Tier 2 Environmental Assessment for improvements on Interstate 66 outside the Capital Beltway, as well as revised design concepts that have reduced potential residential relocations by half.

This information will be presented at hearings scheduled on May 27 and May 28, and June 2 and June 3. The public is invited to review and comment on:

• The Tier 2 Environmental Assessment, which evaluates potential effects the proposed improvements would have on air quality, noise, neighborhoods, parks, recreation areas, historic properties, threatened and endangered species habitats, wetlands and streams.
• Updated design concepts, which reflect revisions where possible on roadway elements and stormwater management ponds to reduce impacts and preserve nearby homes.

This information will be available to the public beginning on May 12 at www.Transform66.org or at VDOT’s Northern Virginia District Office in Fairfax. The public comment period for this stage of the project extends until June 18.

“The upcoming public hearings and opportunities for input are critical to our ongoing efforts to engage the public and determine the most effective and least impactful solutions to improve I-66 outside the Beltway,” said Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne. “Since the initial roll-out of the project’s concept plans in January and February, and after hearing public input at more than 30 community meetings, VDOT has continued to focus on minimizing the project’s footprint, significantly reducing the number of potential residential relocations by more than half. This effort to reduce impacts will continue as the environmental and design process moves forward.”

Preliminary design concepts presented at public information meetings earlier this year showed the potential for 32 to 35 residential relocations, depending on the selected designs. Design revisions now show the number of possible residential relocations to be between 11 and 18. All 12 of the homes that were impacted by new stormwater management ponds are preserved in the updated designs, as well as homes close to the proposed flyover ramp near the Dunn Loring area, east of Nutley Street.

Following the upcoming environmental public hearings, VDOT and DRPT will continue design work with a focus on further minimizing impacts and making the best use of infrastructure that is already in place. Final right of way impacts will be presented to the public at design public hearings in mid-2016. Construction of the project is slated to begin in 2017.

The I-66 Outside the Beltway Project proposes improvements from Route 15 in Haymarket to I-495, and involves two express or high occupancy toll (HOT) and three regular lanes in each direction, along with high-frequency bus service in the express lanes with predictable travel times and direct access between the express lanes and new or expanded commuter lots.

For more information, go to www.transform66.org.