Widening I-66

I recently stumbled upon a project by VDOT that will widen Interstate 66 in Northern Virginia between exits 47 and 52 from four to six lanes in each direction. Like many road widening projects, this will only further exacerbate traffic issues on the I-66 corridor, already one of the busiest in the Washington DC area.

What VDOT is neglecting to understand is that not only does road widening not work to begin with, but continuing to expand a road only for it to be condensed into a 2x2 highway in an inner city area is a waste of money. The project, expected to cost $75m, will accomplish none of what it sets out to do. Would Northern Virginia not be better served by an extension of the Orange Line? While the line is nearing overcrowding, the new 7000 series railcars have increased capacity to support such an extension, along with the impending arrival of the Silver Line.

To that end, if VDOT is really serious about reducing congestion on I-66, it would be well-served to understand why the congestion exists in the first place. Because of a historical dispute between Arlington and VDOT during I-66's initial construction through the area, a compromise was made so that the highway could be built but only in a 2x2 configuration east of the Beltway with a transit-related median. However, west of the Beltway and the current Orange Line terminus of Vienna, VDOT had free reign to widen 66 as it see fit. While much of the traffic on this western section is distributed onto the Beltway (which is already crowded, only worsening the condition), far more than capacity is pushed onto the eastern section of I-66. Adding supply and encouraging usage on already saturated roadways is not the answer.

An average of 120,000 vehicles use this stretch of I-66 each day. Even a mere 10% reduction in road traffic by means of incentives or tolling to discourage driving on the highway would mean 12,000 fewer cars and 12,000 more Metro passengers. So, VDOT, is adding another two lanes each way really worth the millions of dollars?

The status of the I-66 widening can be found here: http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/i-66_widening.asp.