A vote Wednesday could add new express toll lanes on the Capital Beltway in Virginia from the Springfield interchange through Alexandria and across the Wilson Bridge.
Residents say something needs to be done about the traffic congestion.
“Well, it’s a huge bottleneck, and anything that makes the traffic move smoother is for me,” Alexandria resident Tom O’Neill said.
The main sticking point in the debate is the Wilson Bridge. When the bridge first was constructed, it was built with enough space on the deck for something like express lanes. Some Maryland leaders on the other side of the bridge worry new express lanes will cause more congestion on their side of the bridge.
Walter Alcorn, a high-ranking member of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) that will vote on the plan, believes it is far from a done deal.
“In this case, Prince George’s County … the State of Maryland’s Department of Transportation have yet to differences with VDOT, and the project is not to the point — at least from my understanding of their side — of moving through this TPB process yet.”
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay — long a supporter of the express lane proposal — concedes the votes likely aren’t there to move the project forward, now. He hopes for a delay during the TPB vote so the project isn’t shelved permanently.
“The express lanes project that has been proposed is the only project being worked on that would relieve gridlock in this section of the Beltway,” he said. “It’s the only one right now. And the no build alternative has us in a couple of years with upwards of a one-hour delay on the bridge approach in Maryland and in Virginia.”
If the project gets voted down, it will be years before it is eligible for discussion at the TPB again, McKay said.
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