An Open Letter from Potomac District Supervisor Andrea McGimsey

Supervisor Seeks Support for the Traffic Funnel Analysis‏

Dear neighbor:

Last year, many of you provided me with feedback on the Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP), and I have heard from many citizens and businesses about the transportation challenges in Loudoun County. Before the end of this Board’s term, we have some important work left to do about how traffic will flow around the airport and the river. Please read* the proposal and send me your feedback; I also hope you will seriously consider speaking to the Board directly at a public input session.

The approved CTP identified several near-term, intermediate, and long-term projects for the Route 28, Route 7, and Greenway corridors, among others. These corridors have experienced the largest growth in population in the county over the last ten years, putting a noticeable daily strain on our roads. Moreover, two significant geographical barriers exist to travel by automobile and other transportation modes in Loudoun County: Washington Dulles International Airport and the Potomac River. These geographical barriers cause traffic to funnel on to a finite number of planned and built east /west roads that connect to Route 28: Route 50, Route 606, the expensive Greenway, Waxpool/Church Road, Route 7, and the planned Gloucester Parkway connection to the Nokes Boulevard interchange on Route 28.

As you can see in the Revised 2030 CTP map (page 24), even if the planned road network is built out, we will still face failing levels of service on most of these roads in 2030. I want to make sure the county is doing everything we can to alleviate traffic, which is why I am introducing this item at the June 21st, 2011 Board Business Meeting. If we perform the proposed analysis and come up with a prioritized list of proposed improvements, it will empower the county and state to tackle our traffic problems in this key area of the county in a rigorous, substantive way.

The item requests staff to perform a traffic analysis of the planned and built transportation network in the area between the river and the airport, to include the Greenway, Route 606, Waxpool / Church Road, Gloucester / Nokes Boulevard, and Route 7, between Belmont Ridge Road and Atlantic Boulevard. The county would also prepare a list of transportation priorities that will help us make strategic decisions when considering future land use developments and funding of multi-modal transportation infrastructure.

The reasons to perform this analysis are many. The area between the airport and the river harbors Loudoun’s largest businesses, including Raytheon, Verizon, Aol., and Orbital, and many smaller companies. It includes the planned mixed-use communities of Moorefield Station, Loudoun Station, Kincora, and One Loudoun. This area is also the major access throughway to the rest of the DC metropolitan area for the communities in Ashburn, Dulles North, Leesburg, some of Dulles South, and much of western Loudoun. This area, where so much of the traffic from the county funnels to a finite set of east/west roads, is at the heart of Loudoun’s economic development and population growth.

Traffic affects all of us, which is why I need your help in making sure the county puts the focus back on transportation with this item. There are several ways you can get involved with this effort. Below is a list of dates for the remaining public input sessions before the Board takes it annual August recess. These sessions are a great opportunity to speak directly to all nine members of the Board and voice your concerns about the traffic in Loudoun County. Come share your stories, opinions on the item, and potential actions/solutions.

Meeting: Public Input**
Date & Time: Tuesday, July 5^th, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Location: Board Room, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, SE, in Leesburg

Meeting: Public Input
Date & Time: Monday, July 18^th, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Location: Board Room, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, SE, in Leesburg

If you cannot attend the public input sessions, please send your feedback to the Board of Supervisors at bos@loudoun.gov and to me at Andrea.McGimsey@loudoun.gov.

The draft motion for the item requests that county staff bring back a preliminary report to the Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC) for further discussion and action. If the item is approved by the full Board on June 21st, 2011, then county staff will likely report to the TLUC at the July 20th meeting.

Meeting: Transportation and Land Use Committee
Date & Time: Wednesday, July 20^th, 2011 at 6:00 PM
Location: Board Room, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, SE, in Leesburg
The public does not participate in the Board’s committee meetings, but I encourage you to watch the meeting.

You can also send your feedback to the Board of Supervisors at bos@loudoun.gov, and you can write to me directly at Andrea.McGimsey@loudoun.gov.

*Board business meeting agendas can be found at www.loudoun.gov/BOSAgenda. To view the traffic funnel item, click on the 6-20-11 and 6-21-11 BOS Meeting Packets link. Then click on the 6-21-11 BOS Meeting link, where you will find a list of the items, ordered numerically. Click on Item #09 – Ashburn-Sterling Traffic Funnel Analysis and Potential Solutions COMPLETE. All of the attachments are included in the file. If you have trouble viewing the file, please email Alex.Delgado@loudoun.gov and we will send you a copy.

**The Board has public input sessions on the first and third Monday of the month at 7 PM, except during the month of August. These sessions are a great time to come and speak to the Board about anything on your mind, especially if you are not able to come to other planned public meetings or if you want to speak on an item up for vote at the Board business meeting the next day. Directions to the Government Center are available online.

Andrea McGimsey
Potomac District Supervisor