Bringing Metro, and Havoc, to Route 123

The March 15 Metro article "Metrorail Heading in a New Direction" discussed the "pain" that Tysons Corner will feel from construction of both elevated rail lines and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. It said that the impact on Route 123 will be "less dramatic" than on Route 7. But construction of the overhead rail line along Route 123 will exact a tremendous toll on drivers, businesses and residents, as well as on neighboring communities.

The rail and HOT lane projects represent progress that understandably comes at some cost to accommodate construction. But that cost is being exacerbated by the choice of overhead rail instead of a tunnel. Officials of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recently told the McLean Citizens Association that building HOT lanes will require a six-month closing of one lane in each direction on Route 123 this year. Adding overhead rail to the mix will force similar closures in 2010-11, lasting well over a year for the Metro line and the HOT lanes. VDOT also told the association that the 2010-11 closures would be substantially shorter if a tunnel had been chosen.

Unless there is a concomitant reduction in vehicle traffic, the loss of one-third of Route 123's capacity for more than a year will wreak havoc on local businesses and residents. It will be much harder for commercial property owners in Tysons Corner to retain and attract tenants. Retailers will lose customers. Driving between McLean and Vienna will become a nightmare, and neighborhood cut-through traffic will increase in both communities as commuters seek to avoid the Route 123 bottleneck. The pain will be tremendous because government officials refused to demand a competitive bid that included a tunnel option.

ROB JACKSON

President

McLean Citizens Association

McLean