I-66 Multimodal Transportation
and Environmental Study



 

 


Welcome

Welcome to the web site for the I-66 Multimodal Transportation and Environmental Study (I-66 Study). This web site has been developed to convey Study information to interested parties. Updates will be made frequently to provide information throughout the Study relating to upcoming meetings, the schedule of on-going activities, newsletters, other work products and design concepts. Additionally, we have created links to other web sites, including other studies in the I-66 vicinity, providing easy access to related transportation information.

We trust that you will find the information you are seeking below. However, should you have unanswered questions, please call the Study Office at 1-866-infoi66 or 1-866-463-6466, and the Study Team will be glad to assist you.

We thank you for visiting the I-66 Study web site, and look forward to interacting with you throughout the Study.

Sincerely,

I-66 Study Management Team


Study Overview

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) have initiated the I-66 Multimodal Transportation and Environmental Study (I-66 Study) for improving mobility along the I-66 corridor from just west of the I-66/I-495 (Capital Beltway) interchange in Fairfax County to the I-66/US Route 15 interchange near Haymarket in Prince William County. Multimodal transportation improvements in the I-66 corridor were selected in an earlier Major Investment (planning) Study (MIS)to enhance safety and to provide increased capacity for current and projected future travel demands. The current Study will examine configurations and locations of the MIS improvements to the I-66 travel lanes; Metrorail; commuter and local bus service transit stations and parking; and other facilities.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), acting as joint lead federal agencies, will work with VDOT and DRPT, to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as required by and in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EIS will provide government agencies and other interested parties with information about the extent and location of the proposed multimodal transportation improvements along I-66 so that an informed decision can be made. As such, the I-66 EIS will:

  • Identify and explain the purpose and need for improvements in the I-66 corridor
  • Develop and describe the alternatives being considered
  • Identify the environmental consequences of each alternative
  • Identify measures to avoid, minimize or mitigate consequences of the proposed action
  • Describe the agency and public coordination efforts
  • Serve as the basis for a decision between not building and building the proposed I-66 corridor alternatives.


Study Corridor

The Study corridor includes about one-third of the length of I-66. It extends approximately 24 miles from just west of the I-66/I-495 (Capital Beltway) interchange in Fairfax County to the I-66/US Route 15 Interchange near Haymarket in Prince William County. The Study corridor is centered on I-66 and the impact width will vary depending upon the subject transportation facility, the adjacent land use, type of cross-street intersection/interchange, and socio-economic, cultural, and natural resources.


Study Schedule

The I-66 Study will lead to a Commonwealth Transportation Board decision on a preferred alternative that is anticipated in 2005. The Study consists of the following primary tasks.

  • Study Scoping
  • Transportation Analysis
  • Alternatives Development/Refinement
  • Conceptual Multimodal Engineering
  • Environmental Impact Analysis
  • Draft EIS
  • Final EIS

The Study Team is currently modeling and testing transportation conditions in the Study Area to determine the impact that different types of improvements would have on travel flows and demands in the corridor. The current testing will lead to the development of preliminary alternatives, which are expected to be presented in a series of public information meetings.

The time line remains unknown for finalizing the assessment of the preferred alternative in the Final EIS and obtaining a federal Record of Decision (ROD) on the Study findings. A federal ROD is needed to dedicate funding and to continue into final engineering design and construction.


Public Outreach

As part of the I-66 Study, a broad array of opportunities will be provided to distribute information about the process and findings, as well as to solicit input, to relevant federal, state, and local agencies; other interested parties, and the public. Some of these opportunities include:

  • Public Meetings/Hearings
  • Local Advisory Committee
  • Technical Committee
  • Community /Stakeholder Briefings
  • Newsletters
  • Study Information Centers (Kiosks)
  • Web Site
  • Toll-Free Information Line
  • Study Office

The members of the local advisory committee are:

Chair:
Mayor Jane Seeman Town of Vienna
Members:
Chairman Katherine K. Hanley Fairfax County
Supervisor Gerald Connolly Fairfax County
Supervisor Michael R. Frey Fairfax County

Mayor Robert F. Lederer City of Fairfax

Chairman Sean Connaughton Prince William County
Supervisor Edgar S. Wilbourn, III Prince William County

Ex Officio:
Karen J. Rae Director, Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT)
James H. Offutt Citizen Representative
Thomas F. Farley District Administrator, VDOT Northern Virginia District
Richard A. White General Manager, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)


Public Scoping Meetings

Scoping is an early, open, and ongoing process used to identify the range of alternatives, impacts and significant issues to be addressed in an Environmental Impact Statement. To get public input on these topics at the opening of the I-66 Study, a series of public scoping meetings were held the week of January 20, 2002, in Centreville, Fairfax, and Manassas. The meetings involved one-on-one interaction between citizens and Study Team members, as well as a presentation and display about the history of the corridor, the purpose and goals of the upcoming study, and other information pertaining to the capacity and use of the corridor.

As a result of these meetings, the Study Team has gleaned valuable information on issues facing the corridor, including issues relating to the environment, cultural resources, transit, and other topics. The Study Team has prepared a Scoping Process Report, which includes background information about the Study, minutes from the January public scoping meetings, and comments we received during and after the public scoping meetings. A summary report that synthesizes the information into topical themes has been written to provide an overview of the issues and ideas provided to date.

The Scoping Information Document, dated January 2002, is available.
(1.0 MB PDF file)

The Scoping Process Summary Report, dated May 2002, is now available.

You still have the opportunity to provide your comments and ask questions, as you will throughout this Study! Please do not hesitate to contact us using the methods listed in the "contacts" section below.

 

Purpose and Need
The I-66 Study Team has recently reached another milestone: the completion of the Purpose and Need Report, which describes transportation problems and patterns in the I-66 corridor today and as anticipated in the future. The Purpose and Need Report identified traffic safety and congestion problems, as well as the lack of transit connections as some of the most urgent issues in the corridor. This reflects and substantiates observations that were heard from frequent I-66 corridor travelers during the scoping process.

The Purpose and Need Report serves a vital function in an environmental study. By defining problems, it guides the identification of possible solutions or alternatives, allowing for comparison of different solutions in terms of their ability to solve transportation problems.

The Purpose and Need Report, dated February 2003, is now available.
Adobe Acrobat PDF (9 MB)


Newsletters

A mailing list is being maintained to provide interested persons copies of newsletters as they are developed. The newsletters will provide updated study information, including summary information on efforts to date and next steps. Newsletters previously distributed are available by clicking on the links below.

Download
 I-66 Study Newsletter #1 - Winter 2001/2002
Adobe Acrobat PDF (1 MB)

Newsletter #2 - Fall 2002

Newsletter #3 - Summer 2003

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the purpose of the Study?
The Study purpose is to document the associated environmental impacts for a preferred multimodal improvement alternative that meets the transportation purpose and need within the Study corridor. These impacts need to balance the sensitivities of the environment, property owners, cost, and the efficient and safe movement of people and goods in the I-66 corridor.

Why is the Study needed?
The existing corridor is heavily congested and projected to get worse in the future. A first step in seeking relief is to identify, evaluate, and design transportation improvements that satisfy these future travel demands. The funding and construction of these improvements follow this step. In this Study, potential improvements will be identified, evaluated, and designed to a level of detail to assist with decision-making.

How long will it take to conduct the Study?
The Study is scheduled to occur over a three-year period. Following the preparation of a Draft EIS and receipt of comments at public hearings, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) is to make a decision on a preferred alternative. The multimodal EIS will be finalized once the preferred alternative is selected.

When will anything approved in this Study actually be built?
Assuming funding availability, operation and use of the preferred alternative identified in this Study could be 7 to 9 years from the Study kick-off in 2002, which would be between 2009 to 2011. This schedule assumes about 3 years for the Study, 2 to 3 years for design, and 2 to 3 years for construction. In the meantime, minor improvements will continue to be undertaken by VDOT.

What is different about this Study as compared to the Major Investment Study (MIS) done a few years ago?
The I-66 MIS was a planning study, under past federal legislation, to determine the most feasible and reasonable transportation investments in the corridor. The I-66 Study will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), following NEPA legislation, for transportation improvement configurations and locations in the corridor. The potential strategies will be engineered to a greater level of detail than in the MIS so that potential impacts, costs and benefits can be better quantified and understood before making a decision on a preferred alternative (No-Build or Build) for the Study corridor.

Will this Study pick up where the MIS left off?
The alternative strategies and recommendations in the MIS will serve as a starting point for the I-66 MTES. They will be developed to greater detail, and evaluated in this Study.

What alternatives will be considered?
Alternatives are being developed from the earlier MIS and I-66 scoping process and include:

  • A No-Build Alternative (which includes area wide transit and highway improvements in the current Washington region Financially Constrained Long-Range Plan [CLRP])
  • A Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative
  • Transit (Metrorail extension, VRE, bus) improvements
  • High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane improvements
  • General purpose (normal travel) lane improvements

The TSM alternative is a relatively low-cost alternative that attempts to address travel demand by improving the existing system through minor roadway, intersection and safety improvements, enhanced bus service, car or vanpooling strategies, and the use of ITS technology to better manage existing facilities.

Alternatives that carry through the process may be a combination of those listed above, given multimodal nature of the preferred strategy from the MIS and the comments received during Scoping.

Where/When can I see alternatives that are being considered?
There will be a number of opportunities to review Study progress, including the alternatives. These opportunities include newsletters, web page, and public meetings. The preliminary alternatives will be available for viewing at the public information meetings.

Will walls be built to protect people from the noise associated with corridor improvements?
As part of this Study, a detailed evaluation of noise-related impacts will be conducted throughout the corridor's length to see if noise wall criteria are met. Where noise walls are considered an acceptable mitigation measure to noise impacts, they will be incorporated into the recommended improvements.

What is the area to be studied?
The area within which detailed impacts will be evaluated extends from just west of the I-495/I-66 interchange in Fairfax County to US Route 15 in Haymarket (Prince William County) - a distance of approximately 24 miles. The impact width along I-66 will vary depending upon adjacent land use and type of cross-street intersection/interchange.

What is happening at I-66/495 interchange?

  • Improvements, including alternatives and related impacts, are addressed as part of Capitol Beltway EIS
  • Interim safety and operational improvements likely will be priorities over the next few years.

Will I-66 inside the Beltway be widened?
A separate study is presently planned to investigate the feasibility of widening of I-66 inside the Beltway. This will be a separate study and is not part of the I-66 MTES.

How does this Study relate to the planned widening of I-66 in western Prince William County?
Widening I-66 in western Prince William County between Route 234 Business (Sudley Road) and about 1 mile east of Route 29 near Gainesville are separate projects that are planned for construction later this year (2004). Additional planned improvements to widen I-66 all the way to US Route 29 (Gainesville) and to reconstruct the Gainesville Interchange will be implemented as additional construction funds become available. 

Who can I talk to about this Study?
There are several people to contact. They include:

The Study Management Team - The Study Management Team is made up of VDOT and DRPT representatives and their consultants. They are available to answer questions at public meetings, and can be contacted through the toll-free information line at 1-866-INFO I66 (that is 1-866-463-6466), or email at comments@infoI66.com.

How do I receive periodic information about the Study?
You may:

  • Continue to visit this website
  • Call the Toll-Free information line anytime at I-866-INFO I66
    (that is 1-866-463-6466)
  • Request to be added to our newsletter mailing list via e-mail through the web page or by calling the information line
  • Attend one or more of the public meetings which will be advertised in local newspapers



Contacts

Study Office:
8403 Arlington Boulevard, First Floor, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22031
comments@infoi66.com

Toll-Free Information Line:
1-866-infoi66 or 1-866-463-6466


Links

Selected web sites for related information are:

Federal Government

Regional / State Agencies

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