Hey Yupette,
I have a friend who lives in a townhouse on Van Dorn Street, just south of Seminary Road. She and her neighbors are outraged at VDOT, and the Richmond pols who were paid off ten years ago, so HOT lanes could be constructed on I-395 and I-495. What was once a wooded buffer between the northbound lanes and Van Dorn Street has been bulldozed and an ugly sound wall has been constructed. Contruction for HOT Lanes in the area of her townhouse has been ongoing for 3 years, with no end in sight.
So this is what Arlington residents who live along 395 will have to look at in 3 years, because there's a done deal between the Arlington County Board and VDOT, brokered by Governor McAuliffe, so Arlington gets the transient tourist tax restored and more money for bicycle infrastructure in return for allowing VDOT and the foreign company who builds and operates HOT lanes to build and operate HOT lanes on I-395 in Arlington.
The usual group of Arlington Democratic Party and civic association 'community leaders' is being mobilized to 'facilitate' the deal. As usual, the 'facilitators' live nowhere near the I-395 corridor, with the exception of the Democratic ward heelers who live in the vicinity of I-395.
As you may remember, the Arlington County Board spent millions on legal fees a few years ago preventing VDOT from building HOT lanes through Arlington.
Thanks for your blog.
Mary Ellen - 22206
