Making a Difference in
Meeting Our Regional Transportation Challenge:
A Record of Accomplishment
The true measure of an organization is not simpley what it fabors, but what it gets done.
Since 1987, the Alliance has been a positive, non-partisan force for advancing performance-based, regional transportation solutions. The following is a list of the Alliance's major accomplishments.
Commuter Rail Service (Virginia Railway Express): The Alliance was an early champion of the Virginia Railway Express system that started service in 1992 and today operates 29 trains and 18 stations and carries over 16,00 passengers per day. Virginia Railway Express
Comprehensive Regional Planning: The Alliance called for and supported the 1989 Subregional Planning Process and that Plan's 2000 and subsequent updates. The Alliance believes that the current Northern Virginia TransAction 2030 Plan and the 2040 update that is currently underway lack the necessary top-down, performance-based project selection and prioritization criteria. The Alliance has submitted detailed recommendations on how to improve this process.
Dulles Corridor Widening and Extension: The Alliance was in the forefront of efforts to widen the Dulles Toll Road and build the Dulles Greenway.
Dulles Rail Phase I: East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue is under construction and scheduled to open in late 2013/early 2014.
Fairfax County Parkway: All 35 planned miles are open to traffic and several new grade-separated interchanges are open or under construction.
Fairfax County Parkway and Algonquian Parkway Alignment: The Alliance was instrumental in changing local plans to bring these two parkways into a common alignment.
I-66 Inside the Beltway: A new westbound third lane between Fairfax Drive (Ballston) and Sycamore Street opened in December 2011. A similar westbound widening between Washington Blvd and the Dulles Connector road is scheduled for construction in 2013.
I-66 Outside the Beltway: The Alliance underwrote preliminary planning costs that resulted in widening I-66 from the Beltway to Route 50.
I-66/Route 29 Gainesville Interchange: The Alliance has been a long-term supporter of this interchange, which is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2014.
I-95 4th Lane: This lane expansion between the Fairfax County Parkway and Route 123 in Prince William County opened in September 2011.
I-495 Express (HOT) Lanes: This 14-mile high occupancy/toll facility is under construction and scheduled to open before the end of this year.
Intercounty Connector (MD 200): This 18-mile, limited access roadway connecting I-270 in Montgomery County and I-95 in Prince George's County opened in 2011.
Metrorail: Much of the originally planned 98-mile system was in operation in 1987. However, the Alliance supported the completion of this extension, its subsequent expansion to 103- and 106-miles and ultimately 129 miles with the completion of Dulles Rail Phases 1 and 2. The Alliance was the first private sector organization to call for a sustainable new regional/federal funding source that has been secured and reform of the Metropolitan Washington Area Transit Authority’s governance structure.
Northern Virginia VDOT Office: Believe it or not, in 1987 VDOT's Northern Virginia District office was located in Culpeper. Today and for the last 20 years, thanks to the Alliance's persistence, it's in Fairfax County.
Prince William County Parkway: The Alliance was a major force in the 1988 county bond effort that funded and built this facility years ahead of schedule. It has since been extended to I-66 and will be further extended north to US Route 50 in Loudoun County as part of the Bi-County Parkway.
Regional Bypass Studies (Western and Eastern): The Alliance was instrumental in advancing Eastern and Western Bypass studies in the late 1980s and in supporting successful completion of the Western Transportation Corridor Major Investment Study in 1997. The Alliance continues to champion these facilities which studies continue to show serve an essential function in diverting traffic off I-95 and improving access to Washington Dulles International Airport, BWI/Thurgood Marshall Airport and the Port of Baltimore.
Route 28 Funding and Widening: The Alliance championed creation of a special transportation tax district to expedite the widening of Route 28 from one lane in each direction to three and the conversion of ten signalized intersections to grade-separated interchanges.
Woodrow Wilson Bridge Replacement: The Alliance was a major participant in studies, hearings and policy-formulation that have resulted in successful efforts to fund a replacement. The first new section opened in June 2006. The second span opened in June 2008. The Federal Highway Administration recognized the Alliance's contribution at the dedication of the second span.