Gov. Kaine Optimistic About Dulles Rail Project

It's been called the single most important transportation investment
the D.C. region can make. Now, according to a WTOP Radio story, it
appears the proposed Metrorail extension to Dulles International
Airport is on track.

WTOP reports that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine says, "It is looking
positive. Based on the dialogue we have been having [with the Federal
Transit Administration] we feel optimistic."

Read the complete WTOP Radio story at:
http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=30&sid=1282826

Halloween Safety

It's not specifically related to traffic, but we will have lots of ghosts and goblins walking through neighborhood streets this Wednesday night, so we thought we'd share some Halloween safety tips provided by Loudoun County Sheriff Steve Simpson.
• Wear light-colored clothing that’s short enough to prevent tripping and add reflective tape to the sides, front and back of costume
• Make sure children can see well through face masks, or use cosmetics to create fun and scary faces
• Adults should accompany young children
• Carry a Flashlight
• Stay within the neighborhood and only visit homes you know
• Watch for traffic
• Only give and accept wrapped or packaged candy
• Examine all candy before allowing children to eat it
• Keep costumed children away from pets. The pet may not recognize the children and become frightened
• Avoid hard plastic or wood props such as daggers or swords. Substitute with foam rubber which is soft and flexible

Happy Halloween... enjoy your candy! And be safe on Loudoun County's roadways!!

Road Closure

From the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office... Belmont Ridge Road south of the W&OD Trail Crossing is closed in both direction due to a two vehicle crash. 11:50 a.m.

Update: The crash at Belmont Ridge Road South of the W&OD Trail is cleared and the road is now open. (2:38 p.m.)

Thoughts on the New Route 28 Ramp

On Thursday, Oct. 4, the Northbound Route 28 ramps that carry traffic to and from Innovation Avenue and northbound opened, part of a series of new interchanges on Route 28 to replace traffic lights with better moving ramps. So the question is... have the ramps helped? Let us know your thoughts - good or bad - about how the ramps have helped or hurt your commute.

Meanwhile, the Examiner has an article about the ramp project.

Rapid Bus vs. Rail to Dulles

According to an article in today's Potomac News, Breakthrough Technologies Institute, a non-profit environmental advocacy organization, says bus rapid transit can be more effective than rail and at about a tenth of the cost. If local jurisdictions get together, the beginnings of a system could be operating within five years. Fully operating systems could be in place in eight to 10 years, Vincent said.

According to the story, Metrorail to Dulles has been estimated at $228 million per mile, while bus rapid transit systems have been built for as little as $24 million per mile. The story also adds that experts expect that about 925,000 people will move to the area by 2030 and it will be impossible to build enough roads for all of them.

Have a thought on the idea of rapid buses instead of rail? Post a comment below.

Where to Post a Complaint About Traffic

Loudoun County Traffic had a comment from a driver today named Jim M. -- posted as a reply to a July 17 post "What a Difference a Traffic Light Makes" -- about short cycling traffic signals and where to get help. Since many readers might not go back to July posts, we wanted to bring this up front and center since it might help many Loudoun County drivers.

The comment read:
"0925 until 0935 this morning, corner of Belmont Ridge Road and Route 7. Turn lane and middle lanes going south on Belmont Ridge had about 8 cars each waiting to turn. Both signals changed for all of FIVE SECONDS! Why must it take 7 minutes to go through an intersection? The timing allowed only 2 cars through the intersection at a time. Where should this complaint be directed??"

Well Jim M., according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, you can send non-emergency traffic information to their online "traffic complaint form" where you can submit info about traffic lights, speeding, stop signs or other traffic complaints. You even get to submit the location and a detailed description.

So thanks for reading Loudoun County Traffic and now you know where to lodge those traffic complaints.

Dulles Greenway Envisioned As Vibrant, Mixed-Use Transit Corridor

Acorrding to a recent article in the Leesburg Today newspaper, some projects along the Dulles Greenway have changed focus, including the project envisioned as a keystone development for the corridor.

Owned by the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Moorefield Station is a 606-acre project on the south side of the Greenway near the Loudoun County Parkway interchange and near the planned terminus of the Metrorail extension.

The majority of office and industrial land on the Greenway is located in eastern Loudoun along one of the county's six distinct development corridors, which include Rt. 7, Rt. 28, Rt. 625, Rt. 606 and Rt. 50. Outlined in more depth in the Economic Development Market Analysis of Eastern Loudoun County, produced in 2004 by Loudoun County's Economic Development Department, those corridors are the future economic engines of the county.

However, the report indicated that the developed commercial space, some 4,008 acres in those corridors, trended toward underdevelopment.

Read the complete article for more.

Support for Tolls to Maintain Roads and Bridges

A recent AAA Mid-Atlantic Web poll, posted in the aftermath of the Minneapolis I-35 bridge collapse and the ensuing transportation funding debate, found that nearly six in 10 would support higher tolls to help maintain existing roads and bridges.

Fifty-seven percent (436) of respondents answered “yes” to the question: Would you support higher tolls to maintain existing roads and bridges? Forty-three percent answered “no” (336).

What is more, the poll found that while respondents were willing to support higher tolls to maintain existing roads and bridges, a majority of the poll respondents, the data show, are not in favor of a higher gas tax – either at the federal or state level – to help pay for nationwide and state bridge and road repairs.

About 54 percent (413) said they are not in favor of higher gas taxes, while 47 percent (359) said they were in favor of higher gas taxes to help pay for state bridge and road repairs.

At the same time, on the subject of potential partnerships to manage toll roads between states and private companies, 58 percent (452) of the respondents said they do not support leasing a state toll road to a private operator if the revenue received was spent solely on maintaining existing roads and bridges. In contrast, forty-two percent (320) said they would support the move.

According to a story on WTOP Radio, congestion and traffic-filled roadways are threatening one of the biggest economic engines in the D.C. region. Traffic on three major routes around Dulles International Airport jumped 27 percent between 2000 and 2005, according to the Washington Airports Task Force. And it may get worse. The impacted roads are Routes 28, 50 and 606, known as the Dulles Loop.

Meanwhile, WTOP also reports that once travelers get to Dulles, the airport's new security screening area and train station, which have been a work-in-progress since 2001 and are part of a $7 billion improvement project at Dulles that includes a fourth runway, should speed up the process for travelers.