A proposal to add express lanes to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge is getting some pushback from the Coalition for Smarter Growth, which argued VDOT’s toll lane could take Metrorail’s right of way.
The Coalition says that, if enacted, the Virginia Department of Transportation’s 495 Southside Study will create traffic bottlenecks. They’re asking locals to voice their displeasure by emailing public officials, and say that the express lanes will not improve general traffic on the bridge and that more cars will avoid the bridge and spill onto local roadways.
“There are simply too many unanswered questions about this project,” the Coalition said in a release. “VDOT needs to study comprehensive and integrated transit, transit-oriented development, and demand management alternatives that would address the underlying cause of Beltway traffic – the east-west jobs/housing imbalance. VDOT must respond to questions and concerns before a project in this corridor should be added to the regional plan.”
The Virginia Department of Transportation’s years-long study to add express lanes to the 11-mile stretch between the Springfield Interchange and across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge has resulted in a number of development alternatives. The Federal Highway Administration will sign off on a preferred alternative for the project this fall, although funding sources have not been identified and the project would sit in a development queue.
While widening the bridge is not being proposed, VDOT is considering removing concrete barriers between thru and local lanes — both of which limit VDOT’s options for express lanes. One of those lanes in each direction could also be used in the future for Metro trains across the bridge and to National Harbor.
According to VDOT:
When the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge was originally constructed, approximately 18 feet of space was reserved for future HOV/express bus/rail transit use in each direction. This study is looking at ways to provide improvements within the existing footprint of the bridge by utilizing some of the reserved space, along with reconfiguring the footprint of existing lanes and shoulders. Across the bridge, express lanes would be added in the existing inner spans. There would be no change to the local and thru lane configuration in the immediate term. Should future transit be implemented by others along the bridge, there may be a need to shift one thru lane to the local lane section (outer span) and reduce to one express lane in each direction to provide space within the inner spans. The existing bridge will not be structurally modified as part of any of the proposed preliminary alternative concepts associated with the 495 Southside Study…
Currently, funding has only been allocated for the development and study of potential improvements. If the preferred alternative is identified as express lanes and approved by FHWA and Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board, a project-delivery method and funding source would be identified. Options to build and operate the express lanes could include potential development by a private contractor (like the existing express lanes on I-495, I-95/I-395, and I-66 Outside the Beltway) or by VDOT.
