Western Transportation Corridor
Massive highway proposal a serious threat to Piedmont
©Charlie Shoffner
SELC is working with a host of partner groups to safeguard the landscape, communities, and historic resources of Virginia's Piedmont from the impacts of sprawl development associated with several proposed highway projects.
The proposed Western Transportation Corridor (WTC) would be a new 4-lane highway stretching over 50 miles through Northern Virginia that would spur development of open space and rural lands far beyond Washington D.C.
The WTC would be a major part of the long-proposed Outer Beltway that would encircle metropolitan D.C. It has consistently been ranked among the most wasteful and destructive road projects in the country. VDOT's own studies have shown that the north-south highway - estimated to cost as much as $2 billion - would not relieve congestion on the Capital Beltway, and would in fact generate more traffic in the region by opening thousands of acres to sprawling development. The project also would destroy wetlands wildlife habitat, and historic resources, increase driving and exacerbate air pollution, and threaten a major drinking water supply for Northern Virginia.
These grave threats, tremendous public opposition, and a lack of funds have put the proposal on hold several times in the past. Undeterred, special interests that would profit from the WTC have continued to fight for it, and there have been suggestions that the project be built under Virginia's 1995 Public-Private Transportation Act. Under the Act, private corporations can pay all or most of the cost of constructing a highway, build the project, and recoup their investment and make a profit by collecting tolls. The approach allows private entities to sidestep the state's normal transportation planning and public input processes. SELC has released the first comprehensive analysis of the failures of this law, and recommends several ways to improve it.
SELC is also concerned that proposals for several other projects could build a segment of the WTC or serve a similar purpose. These other projects include the proposed Manassas Battlefield Bypass and Tri-County Parkway in Virginia, and the Techway (a proposed highway between Maryland and Virginia). Combined, they could create a "stealth WTC," and each of them would generate sprawl, traffic, and air pollution damaging to the Piedmont.
SELC and other organizations are working in partnership to compel VDOT and other Virginia officials to shift the state's scarce funding and resources away from boondoggle projects like the WTC. Instead, the state should focus on maintaining and improving existing roadways, enhancing transit and other transportation options, and promoting smarter growth while restoring and protecting the Commonwealth's natural resources.
