Thursday, January 26, 2012
Local residents disagree over impact of proposed ramp connecting I-395 to Seminary Road.
The Virginia Department of Transportation held a public hearing in Alexandria Wednesday night to gather input from local residents regarding a proposed HOV ramp to connect I-395 to Seminary Road near Mark Center. VDOT employees were ready to answer questions on the draft of an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the HOV ramp project the department conducted and released to the public in December 2011. Tom Fahrney, VDOT’s BRAC project manager, said he and his colleagues had not found any surprises during their assessment. “We found impacts in terms of noise, and we’re proposing sound walls to mitigate the noise,” he said. “In terms of traffic [congestion], the models that we ran stated the obvious: Without the ramp, the northbound, all-purpose…
Friday, December 16, 2011
Buses, telecommuting, staggered schedules and transportation fixes will be needed.
Congress is set to pass legislation today that chastises the Army and imposes restrictions to cap parking at the controversial Mark Center property in Alexandria at 2,000 spaces. The announcement was made today by U.S. Reps. Jim Moran (D-8), Gerry Connolly (D-11) and Virginia Sen. Mark Warner (D) at the U.S. Capitol. Language in the Department of Defense and the Military Construction Appropriations Acts will allow 2,000 parking spaces at the Washington Headquarters Services facility for more than 6,000 federal employees. It will also require the DoD to complete an "accurate" transportation study of the area, revise their Transportation Management Plan and comply with the recommendations of a damning report released last month by the U.S…
Friday, July 22, 2011
'The details are that you end up in traffic congestion, but we have jobs,' says FCEDA Chief.
Severe traffic aside, Base Realignment and Closure is a net positive for the Northern Virginia economy, according to Dr. Gerald Gordon, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. “Ghost towns don’t have traffic. Cities with a 15 percent unemployment rate don’t have heavy traffic during rush hour because nobody is going to work,” said Gordon, who spoke with Patch from his office in Tysons Corner. “Our traffic is all these people going to work. It’s hard to argue.” And Gordon had advice for commuters: "Start early. Adjust your hours. Go in early, go home early. Go in late, come home late. I think that’s the answer. Or go further out, get near a VRE [Virginia Railway Express] station, and take the train. Carpool…
Thursday, May 12, 2011
In the first of a continuing series with key officials, Congressman Jim Moran spoke with Patch on Capitol Hill.
“Disgusted” and “disappointed” is how U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8th) feels about the U.S. Army’s September 2011 relocation of 6,400 federal employees to Alexandria’s Mark Center. Moran spoke with Patch on Wednesday afternoon between votes on the House floor, and defended his near-constant disapproval of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act. Moran said he feels apprehensive. “It’s a sense of impending chaos when these people move,” he said. “I just have to say [I am] disgusted with some of the people who, either through indifference or wrongheadedness, have allowed this to happen.” Moran would not name names. “There are a number of people that are sources of disappointment but I’m not going to get into any personal attacks,” he said. “I…
Will Radle
11:38 pm on Monday, January 30, 2012
We need solutions now. Our Representative's performance in shepherding this project for our community has been pathetic. We cannot trust his motivations when he has been taking donations to help delay the move from Crystal City property owners. Let's not forget he does not just use campaign donations for stickers and buttons. He uses campaign contributions to support his lifestyle including … more ›