John Pfaltz Wrote This Letter to VDOT Sirs, There must be a resolution to the issue of heavy truck and through traffic on the US 29 corridor through Albemarle County. The long delayed Western Bypass is a flawed answer; but it is still a possible answer. At the packed Board of Supervisors meeting, Feb. 19, with its overwhelming vote against the Western Bypass, most of the citizens voiced support for a bypass, but just not that one. So it behooves the BOS to choose an alternative that they can agree on. Several alternatives have been suggested. A county initiative, Places 29, is frequently mentioned. Unfortunately, a key component to this alternative is a grade separated intersection at US 29 and Hydraulic Road, only one corner of which is in the county. Charlottesville City Council is unlikely to sacrifice considerable valuable commercial land for this option. Moreover, eliminating two signalized intersections will do little for through truck traffic. In my opinion, Places 29 is well designed to benefit local traffic north of the Rivanna River, but cannot be a viable alternative to the Western Bypass. Other alternatives have been suggested and/or partially explored. There were 8 possible alternatives associated with the Final Environmental Impact Statement of 1993. Subsequent commercial and residential development make all of them probmatical. A relocation of US 29 to the east along the SR 20 corridor looks viable, but it too seems flawed. Others have proposed routes further to the east. Still, the problem must be resolved. Because of the probable political fallout with any choice, it seems unlikely that the Albemarle BOS will be able to pick a reasonable alternative. It has been suggested that the CTB appoint a special board to resolve this problem. I think this makes sense. But, because you will be taking this political hot potato out of the hands of the BOS, I urge you to first to get a resolution from the BOS that they will unequivocably support (whether they like it or not) the decision of the special board. We cannot tolerate another 30 years of indecision. John L. Pfaltz Research Professor, CTAC member [email protected]
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 19:36:34 +0000
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