Loudoun Supervisors Vote to
Choke Key Dulles Airport Link

On June 15, 2010 the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to reduce North Star Boulevard from the Route 50 to Prince William County line from six planned lanes to only two. The vote was 5-4 with Supervisors Kelly Burk, Jim Burton, Sally Kurtz, Andrea McGimsey and Stevens Miller voting to eliminate four future lanes. Board Chairman Scott York and Supervisors Susan Buckley, Eugene Delgaudio and Lori Waters voted to protect six lanes.

What is called North Star Blvd/Route 659 Relocated in Loudoun's Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP) is also know as the Bi-County Parkway in regional and state plans. The Parkway alignment involves extending the Route 234 Bypass/Prince William County Parkway north of I-66 to Route 50 in Loudoun County.

Between 2002 and 2005 the Virginia Department of Transportation invested $3.9 million to address the best location for a much-needed north-south connection between Loudoun and Prince William Counties. In 2005 the Commonwealth Transportation Board endorsed a Bi-County Parkway as its preferred alternative. (Note: The total cost for completing the Final Environmental Impact Statement will be $4.95 million, expected to be finished in Fall 2010.)

The Commonwealth's study projects the Parkway carrying upwards of 40,000 vehicles per day in 2030. It would improve access to Loudoun and Prince William activity centers and most importantly would provide critical passenger and freight access to one of Northern Virginia's and the Commonwealth's major economic engines - Dulles Airport.

To view a Bi-County Parkway fact sheet, click here.

Prince William County's transportation plan shows this facility as requiring six lanes at build-out. Up until June 15th so did Loudoun's CTP, when the Board voted to eliminate four planned lanes despite the County's own study showing six lanes are needed.

Narrowing this strategic roadway not only severely restricts a key Dulles Airport link, but forces more traffic - including trucks - through Loudoun communities to the east.

Fairfax County's effort in the 1970s to manage its growth by eliminating or downsizing roads failed miserably. The jobs, people and cars came despite removing adequate capacity to handle them, resulting in some of the worst congestion in the country.

Some Loudoun Supervisors Think Repeating Fairfax's Mistakes Will Produce a Different Outcome