Federal Highway Administration officials mark Recovery Act highlights in Virginia, Colorado

Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez didn't have to travel far last Monday when he cut the ribbon on the first two phases of the Fairfax County Parkway Extension in Virginia. But Deputy Administrator Greg Nadeau did log some miles traveling to Denver to break ground on the I-70/Central Park Boulevard Interchange.

Both projects--as well as the jobs needed to get them done and the traffic relief they will provide--were made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Cutting the ribbon on the Trooper Charles Mark Cosslett Memorial Highway

In Fairfax, the first two phases of the four-phase project completed the final two miles of the Fairfax County Parkway, an interchange, an access road, and an extension of a local road to provide an on-ramp.

For the first time, Fairfax County will be connected all the way from Route 7 in the north to Route 1 near Fort Belvoir. And the Belvoir work comes just in the nick of time. The area is preparing for a surge in daily traffic in the fall of 2011 from the Army's base relocation program. The Army's plans for Fort Belvoir and other nearby facilities are expected to bring 43,000 new jobs. And that means tens of thousands of additional vehicles on area roadways.

And, as Administrator Mendez pointed out, "The next phases of this critical project, which are expected to be completed next year, would not even have been started until 2015 at the earliest without the Recovery Act dollars."

Drivers in Northern Virginia appreciate the relief expediting the Parkway Extension by a half-decade will bring to their daily commutes. And the construction workers on the project today because of the Recovery Act appreciate it, too.

In Denver, Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Nadeau kicked-off Colorado's largest highway Recovery Act investment, the Central Park Boulevard Interchange.

Deputy Administrator Nadeau speaking while Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper listen

This project includes a new bridge crossing I-70 and will provide direct access between the growing Stapleton area and major interstates I-70 and I-270.

When completed, the new interchange is expected to serve 18,000 daily drivers, but it is designed for nearly twice that because traffic is estimated to double by 2035. Currently, 228,000 daily drivers rely on I-70, but that is also estimated to climb to 330,000 over the same period.

And this project is not just designed for drivers. A 12-foot sidewalk on both sides across the interchange, well-lighted walkways across the bridge, and specially designed ramp intersections at both ends will improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Breaking ground, from left to right: Stapleton Foundation CEO Cheryl Cohen-Vader, City Councilman Michael Hancock, Deputy Mayor Bill Vidal, Deputy Administrator Nadeau, Mayor John Hickenlooper, and Gov. Bill Ritter

If you've been following this blog, you can guess I'm a big fan of this project and its combination of improvements for different kinds of transportation.

As Deputy Administrator Nadeau said, "The Stapleton community will be well-served by this new interchange. The project is creating well-paying jobs for area workers, building safe multi-use paths for walkers and cyclists and giving time back to drivers."

I want to thank Administrator Mendez and Deputy Administrator Nadeau for representing DOT in Fairfax and Denver. But I know that--like me--they enjoy celebrating these projects that are putting people to work and renewing America's transportation infrastructure through the Recovery Act.

Comments

[Greg Cohen]

Excellent projects, both! Very excited to see that ARRA funding helped make them happen. Not only were jobs created to build the projects, but the long-term economic benefits will create even more jobs & a higher quality-of-life for people in Denver and Fairfax County. Projects like these also improve the reliability of freight logistics -- a critical national issue that illustrates the importance of USDOT's leadership. Great job! Hopefully a new six-year bill will make many more projects like these happen around the country.

[Rob]

These sound like fantastic projects that will benefit a large number of people.

[Carroll]

I live in the Denver area, so I have seen this project from start to finish. Even though it was hard to get around the area of construction, it has eased some of the traffic problems.

[Dean]

I'm glad this is happening now. The infra-structure of America needs overhauling in the worst way. The highways have been neglected for way too long.

[Repeal_The_Va_Radar_Detector_Ban]

As you may know, Virginia is the only state that bans the use and sale of radar detectors. There is no evidence that the radar detector ban increases highway safety. Our nation’s fatality rates have fallen consistently for almost two decades. Virginia’s fatality rate has also fallen, but not any more dramatically than it has nationwide. Research has even shown that radar detector owners have a lower accident rate than motorists who do not own a detector.

Maintaining the ban is not in the best interest of Virginians or visitors to the state. I know and know of people that will not drive in Virginia due to this ban. Unjust enforcement practices are not unheard of, and radar detectors can keep safe motorists from being exploited by abusive speed traps. Likewise, the ban has a negative impact on Virginia’s business community. Electronic distributors lose business to neighboring states and Virginia misses out on valuable sales tax revenue.

Radar detector bans do not work. Research and experience show that radar detector bans do not result in lower accident rates, improved speed-limit compliance or reduce auto insurance expenditures.
• The Virginia radar detector ban is difficult and expensive to enforce. The Virginia ban diverts precious law enforcement resources from more important duties and this ban may be ILLEGAL.
• Radar detectors are legal in the rest of the nation, in all 49 other states. In fact, the first state to test a radar detector ban, Connecticut, repealed the law – it ruled the law was ineffective and unfair. It is time for our Virginia to join the rest of the nation.
• It has never been shown that radar detectors cause accidents or even encourage motorists to drive faster than they would otherwise. The Yankelovich – Clancy – Shulman Radar Detector Study conducted in 1987, showed that radar detector users drove an average of 34% further between accidents (233,933 miles versus 174,554 miles) than non radar detector users. The study also showed that they have much higher seat belt use compliance. If drivers with radar detectors have fewer accidents, it follows that they have reduced insurance costs – it is counterproductive to ban radar detectors.
• In a similar study performed in Great Britain by MORI in 2001 the summary reports that "Users (of radar detectors) appear to travel 50% further between accidents than non-users. In this survey the users interviewed traveling on average 217,353 miles between accidents compared to 143,401 miles between accidents of those non-users randomly drawn from the general public." The MORI study also reported "Three quarters agree, perhaps unsurprisingly, that since purchasing a radar detector they have become more conscious about keeping to the speed limit..." and "Three in five detector users claim to have become a safer driver since purchasing a detector."
• Modern radar detectors play a significant role in preventing accidents and laying the technology foundation for the Safety Warning System® (SWS). Radar detectors with SWS alert motorists to oncoming emergency vehicles, potential road hazards, and unusual traffic conditions. There are more than 10 million radar detectors with SWS in use nationwide. The federal government has earmarked $2.1 million for further study of the SWS over a three-year period of time. The U.S. Department of Transportation is administering grants to state and local governments to purchase the SWS system and study its effectiveness (for example, in the form of SWS transmitters for school buses and emergency vehicles). The drivers of Virginia deserve the right to the important safety benefits that SWS delivers.

Please sign this petition and help to repeal this ban and give drivers in Virginia the freedom to know if they are under surveillance and to use their property legally:

www.stoptheban.org

www.thepetitionsite.com/1/repeal-the-virginia-radar-detector-ban

[Barcelona Reformas]

Some very good projects here. I agree that it's quite exciting to see that ARRA funding helped make them happen. It will definitely improve the area as well as adding a better quality of life for the folks in the area, too.