LTE: Connaughton Weighs in on Bi-County Parkway

Substantial commentary has been voiced recently about the Bi-County Parkway, the planned roadway that will connect I-66 and Route 50 to the west of the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Whatever one’s initial view of the proposed road, all should be able to agree that traffic in western Prince William and eastern Loudoun County is bad and going to be getting worse unless we build the transportation facilities necessary to address it.

The problem is obvious: Prince William and Loudoun counties are two of the fastest growing counties not only in the Commonwealth but the nation. Their combined population is forecasted to increase by 370,000 by 2040 – that increase alone approaches the entire population of Prince William County today. Fortunately for both counties, job growth over the same period will be nearly twice the rate of population growth, meaning that both counties will be more economic engine and less bedroom community.

Precisely because such profound economic and population growth is coming to the two counties, the Bi-County Parkway will be enormously important to those traveling to and from both counties.

Anyone regularly traveling in this area knows going north and south already can be a miserable slog. Current traffic counts and projected forecasts show that roads like Routes 15, 234, Gum Spring Road and other north-south routes already are overwhelmed and face pandemic congestion by 2040 if the Bi-County Parkway is not built. The corridor will serve as a direct connection for travelers who now are forced to travel east and west (exacerbating traffic on those routes) in order to access north-south roads. The result will be improved travel times for travelers in all directions.

In no way is this to suggest that east-west facility improvements are any less needed. That is why we are planning more than $1.2 billion in east-west improvements. But the combination of both east-west AND north-south improvements will form a spider-web network that will far better serve Northern Virginia.

Notwithstanding assertions to the contrary, the Bi-County Parkway can help protect historic and rural areas both east and west, including the historic Route 15 corridor and Prince William’s Rural Crescent. With much of the corridor featured on both counties’ master plans for decades, the highway will channel travel to locations that, for the most part, were planned to serve it. And notwithstanding charges that it will be a “developer’s highway,” the Bi-County Parkway cannot enable untrammeled growth because it will feature only limited access points in the Rural Crescent. In any case, land use planning is controlled by the counties.

As for concerns that properties located along the highway may be “land-locked,” let me affirm that full access will be maintained. Access may be altered in certain locations, but everyone will have comparable access in and out of their residences, businesses, recreational facilities and places of worship.

With regard to historic Routes 234 and 29 in Manassas National Battlefield Park – the juncture of which was central to both First and Second Manassas campaigns – neither will be closed until higher capacity roads are opened outside the hallowed ground. The relocated Route 234 that will be a part of the Bi-County Parkway would be the first of the two highway relocations.

Every step of the way, the Commonwealth has and will continue to involve the public, often going above what is required by law and regulation. A host of public meetings held in Ashburn and Manassas in recent months were attended by hundreds of residents whose input is being reflected in the evaluation of the corridor.

Tomorrow’s quality of life hinges on today’s decisions and wise decisions hinge on sound evaluation. With the Bi-County Parkway, we are dedicated to fully and fairly evaluating a solution with as few impacts as possible that will keep Virginia moving safely and efficiently in the future.

Sean T. Connaughton
Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia