Smart Governor-Elect, Smart Growth?

On I-66 widening, I simply don't believe this solves anything, at least not for very long.  Numerous studies  have shown that building more road capacity, if not combined with "smart growth" measures, simply fuels the phenomenon known as sprawl.  Within a few years, traffic builds right back to where it was before, as new homes are built in response to the new road capacity.  At that point, you're back to square one again, except that you've spent hundreds of millions or billions of dollars to basically tread water.  That's not "smart growth."  Luckily, I believe that Governor-elect Kaine (boy, I LOVE saying that!) understands this very well, as his detailed transportation plan makes clear.  As Kaine says:

By encouraging more activity near our job center, we help slow down the need for expensive road development in the far suburbs of our city. This smart policy choice encourages positive development, helps people live closer to work, and utilizes existing transportation infrastructure rather than creating a need for extensive new roads. As Governor, Tim Kaine will support incentives to promote smarter land use patterns that can take advantage of existing road and public transportation networks.

Exactly right.  Which is why I wonder whether or not adding a lane to I-66 makes any sense at all.  Not to mention the fact that widening I-66 violates a promise made to Arlington County when the road was first constructed, that the road would remain two lanes in each direction.

Besides I-66, I also wonder whether or not running Metrorail out to Dulles is the optimal way to spend our limited transportation dollars.  According to the Washington Post, "Extending the Metrorail line by 23 miles from West Falls Church to the Dulles area is a $4 billion project."  Yes, $4 billion is a lot of money, given that Virginia only spends about $2.5 billion per year on transportation (with a  projected $95 billion over the next 20 years - around $5 billion per year).  That one project eats up a large chunk of Virginia's transportation budget - are we certain that it's worth it?  Are there better alternatives for the Dulles/Herndon/Reston area, like Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), for example?

Meanwhile, planners are studying a first stage of the Metro extension -- 11 miles through Tysons Corner,  at a cost of at least $1.8 billion.  This one might make sense, but only if it is tied in with a new vision for high density development around the new Tysons Corner Metro stops.  Currently, walking and transit options in Tysons are practically non-existent.  To quote Stephen Schwartz again:

We support more density in Tysons Corner and more homes in Tysons Corner, because that is the only way we can create a walkable, transit-friendly community.

I couldn't agree more.  I also agree with the Coalition for Smarter Growth that we need to:

1. Revitalize our cities and towns.

2. Focus development, and especially jobs, at our current and then future transit stations.

3. Allow more housing closer to jobs. Use less land for our office and shopping centers, reserving that land for housing and parks.

4. Invest more of our existing transportation funds in transit, pedestrian, bicycle and local streets.

5. Do all of these things in the key suburbs of Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William where scattered development has contributed so much to traffic and loss of open space.

6. Create a better state and local government partnership in planning.

Finally, I believe that Ed Risse is correct when he points out that "Running a rail line to Dulles Airport could be a great idea -- if planners cluster the right kind of development around the rail stations. Otherwise, it's just business as usual."

In light of all this, I would ask whether or not the $4 billion spent to extend Metro out to Dulles might not be better spent on other transportation-related projects, like BRT to Dulles, enhancing capacity on our EXISTING Metro system (which desperately needs it!), building trolleys and other light-rail solutions in densely populated inner suburbs, constructing telecommuting centers in the outer suburbs, encouraging "smart growth" through tax incentives, etc. 

At the absolute minimum, before we start building or expanding any new road or rail project in Virginia, it seems to me that we should ask ourselves whether it's: a) cost-effective; b) environmentally friendly; and c) actually a solution to whatever problem it aims to solve.  Luckily, we have a smart new governor-elect who understands these issues extremely well.  And that gives me hope for "smart growth" in Virginia moving forward.

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