“Battlefield Parkway Construction Back On Track”, reads the headline in Leesburg Today. This article tells the story of how the Town Council and John Wells resurrected the reality of Battlefield Parkway from Rt. 7 to Kincaid Boulevard. It now appears that the funds are in place and that the RFP for construction may be issued as soon as this Friday, January 26th. If the system works like it should, we might see Battlefield Parkway completed all the way from the Greenway to Rt. 7 by 2009. This is an extremely important connector that will help relieve some our most serious traffic problems.
When VDOT took this project off their near-term to-do list only a few weeks ago, the Town Council sprang into action. I understand that Mayor Umstattd wrote 9 letters with personal notes to politicians and VDOT on this subject. Ken Reid, the transportation champion on the Council, Vice Mayor Susan Horne, Katie Hammler, Kevin Wright, cornered their friends in the State Legislature and members of VDOT. Kelly Burke contacted the Governor’s office. Several citizens spoke directly with Delegate Joe May. Other members of the state legislature were also approached. Town Manager, John Wells, should get special recognition for figuring out how to pay for the project.
I hope that this is a trend that will continue. We need to finish Battlefield Parkway from the Greenway to Rt. 15. The bridge will soon be completed across the Greenway, but Battlefield Parkway will end at Evergreen Mill Road. Sources tell me that “Meadowbrook II” will soon surface, which may give the Town a second bite at the apple and a chance to complete this road. I also hear a rumor that there may be some good news on the funding of a flyover at Sycolin Road and the By-pass. Wouldn’t all that make for a very happy New Year, and many happy new years to come?
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Friday, January 12, 2007
I Also Have a Dream, and It Begins with T
As I write this we are reminded of Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech that changed the lives of millions for the better. Today is his birthday. King was a leader who died an untimely death at the young age of 39. About twenty years later, after King’s death, another dreamer, Ralph Stanley, conceived of a private road from Dulles Airport to Leesburg. Like the civil rights movement, a private road was a disruptive technology, inconceivable to some, and fraught with risk, but an idea that changed the world in which we live. I hesitate to try and connect my dream to these two great visionaries, nevertheless my thoughts are as follows.
There is problem in “River City” (Loudoun County) that begins with T. This problem has reached the front page of every local newspaper and even The Washington Post. The problem is Traffic and Transportation, and that’s with a “Capital T which stands for Trouble”, as Robert Preston, the Music Man, said.
The front page headline in the January 12, 2007 issue of Leesburg Today reads, “Traffic Choking HHMI Research?” This article tells of a meeting between the Loudoun County Economic Development Commission and the COO of Janelia Farm. Janelia Farm is the site of Loudoun County’s largest bio-tech venture, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The article reports that the business leaders on the County EDC were “stunned” by the report they received of traffic so bad that HHMI potential employees were turning down job offers, and scientists could not easily drive to the NIH in Bethesda where they often collaborate.
My dream is of a bridge across the Potomac and a road connecting Loudoun County Parkway. This dream is not new or unique. In fact it is as old as the Washington Beltway. Politicians have debated this for years. I believe the solution is a public/private partnership and the solution begins with T which stands for Tolls. A toll bridge across the Potomac connecting to a road that connects to the Loudoun County Parkway is financially feasible. It should be also politically doable. Why not another private toll road and bridge?
There is problem in “River City” (Loudoun County) that begins with T. This problem has reached the front page of every local newspaper and even The Washington Post. The problem is Traffic and Transportation, and that’s with a “Capital T which stands for Trouble”, as Robert Preston, the Music Man, said.
The front page headline in the January 12, 2007 issue of Leesburg Today reads, “Traffic Choking HHMI Research?” This article tells of a meeting between the Loudoun County Economic Development Commission and the COO of Janelia Farm. Janelia Farm is the site of Loudoun County’s largest bio-tech venture, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The article reports that the business leaders on the County EDC were “stunned” by the report they received of traffic so bad that HHMI potential employees were turning down job offers, and scientists could not easily drive to the NIH in Bethesda where they often collaborate.
My dream is of a bridge across the Potomac and a road connecting Loudoun County Parkway. This dream is not new or unique. In fact it is as old as the Washington Beltway. Politicians have debated this for years. I believe the solution is a public/private partnership and the solution begins with T which stands for Tolls. A toll bridge across the Potomac connecting to a road that connects to the Loudoun County Parkway is financially feasible. It should be also politically doable. Why not another private toll road and bridge?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
