I-66 HOT lanes proposed, with multimodal improvements

[chris_s]

VDOT has produced a concept plan for extending a “trail” along I-66 from the Beltway out to Haymarket.

It’s….not great. Every time they come to an interchange they basically throw their hands up in the air and yell “it’s just all too hard!”

Fairfax County Portion
PW County Portion

[Mikey]

I think the far worse item is the divergent diamond interchange at Nutley and 66. Not that this is a bastion of pedestrian safety right now, but the DD interchange will increase car speeds, add more awkward pedestrian crossings, and increase the time to make it across a much wider car only zone.
See this GGW write up from a few years back for more info:

[mstone]

@chris_s 116526 wrote:

VDOT has produced a concept plan for extending a “trail” along I-66 from the Beltway out to Haymarket.

That’s huge. Yes it sucks that it can’t be more direct, but there seemed to be zero appetite at VDOT to even consider something like the custis along the 66 ROW outside the beltway. To get anything down on the pavement means we have the ability to grow the utilization and push for improvements. I can bike to Manassas battlefield now; this proposal might mean that I could bike there with my kids. (Of course, by the time it’s implemented, my kids will be pulling away from me on the road but I’m sure it will be great for someone’s kids.)

[chris_s]

@mstone 116530 wrote:

That’s huge. Yes it sucks that it can’t be more direct, but there seemed to be zero appetite at VDOT to even consider something like the custis along the 66 ROW outside the beltway. To get anything down on the pavement means we have the ability to grow the utilization and push for improvements. I can bike to Manassas battlefield now; this proposal might mean that I could bike there with my kids. (Of course, by the time it’s implemented, my kids will be pulling away from me on the road but I’m sure it will be great for someone’s kids.)

Props to WABA for getting several hundred emails into the VDOT comment period.

[Mikey]

More issues with the DDI:

[mstone]

Expecting VDOT not to prioritize cars is like expecting the scorpion not to sting the frog. The DDI is pedestrian-unfriendly, but we can probably still get something that’s an improvement over the current implementation. Strategically, it’s one of those items that we probably need to swallow, but point to when we demand more improvements in other sections. (“If you want us to shut up about your crappy DDI you’d better throw us 50 feet of pavement for a continuous bike route even though you’d rather not bother.”)

[Author]

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