Each session will start with an overview of study objectives, timetable and community involvement plan.  Attendees will then be divided into small groups, each with a Study Team member.  Each group will be asked to comment on three subject areas.

• Problems in the I-66 inside the Beltway corridor that need to be addressed.
  
  
• Solutions to these problems.
  
  
• Other concerns about this study or conditions in this corridor.

Problems in Corridor

• Too many vehicles, too little capacity.
  
  
• More and more traffic spilling over into adjacent neighborhoods.
  
  
• Travel conditions are congested throughout the day, including weekends.
  
  
• Government failed to provide planned capacity in the first place.  Four lanes in each direction were planned, but only two constructed.
  
  
• Traffic congestion is even heavier eastbound than westbound.  Why are we spending all this time/money on only part of the problem?
  
  
• I-66 is a major regional evacuation corridor, but remains a major transportation bottleneck.
  
  
• Increasing congestion makes Arlington business centers less accessible.  If workers can’t easily get to these places, businesses and jobs will go elsewhere.
  
  
• Increasing congestion makes one of Northern Virginia’s economic engines, Dulles Airport, less accessible.  Congestion contributes to air pollution.  Wastes expensive fuel.

Solutions

• Add at least one new lane in each direction.
  
  
• Provide more capacity.  New lanes are fundamental and a necessity.
  
  
• Solutions need to be improvements that save the most people the most time.  People make travel decisions based on what route/mode is the fastest.
  
  
• Solutions need to be those that are most likely to move the most people throughout the day.  Nearly 90% of trips in the region are by automobile/truck.  It would be a huge mistake to propose that I-66 congestion can be addressed only by mass transit.

Concerns

• Study is focusing only on westbound when problem is both directions.
  
  
• That politicians will endorse the solution that is the most politically correct as opposed to that which is likely to move the most people.
  
  
• The study must recognize the reality that failure to accommodate more traffic on I-66 will force more traffic onto neighborhood streets.
  
  
• Study needs to recognize that I-66 is a regional/national facility, not a local road.  Practical steps must be taken to protect adjacent neighborhoods, but decision-makers must recognize that failure to provide more capacity on I-66 will be extremely harmful to neighborhoods.
  
  
• Congestion costs the region billions annually.  Not widening I-66 will make Ballston, Roslyn, Clarendon and Crystal City far less accessible and desirable as business/employment centers, forcing more jobs and people further out in the region.
  
  
• HOT-Lanes, tolls or higher HOV passenger requirements might encourage more travelers to use adjacent neighborhood streets as alternatives.
  
  
• Solution evaluation criteria that measure time savings and congestion reduction should be assigned the greatest weight/value in this study.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND BE THERE!!