BUSINESS COMMUNITY SHOWS SUPPORT FOR BI-COUNTY PARKWAY

In a letter sent to the entire Northern Virginia General Assembly Delegation yesterday, businesses and business organizations across Virginia expressed their support for construction of the Bi-County Parkway, a proposed north-south route to create better connectivity between the two fastest growing counties in the Commonwealth, Loudoun and Prince William Counties.
At time of distribution 107 businesses and organizations had signed on to the letter.
Below is a copy of the letter.
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September 5, 2013
Dear Members of the Northern Virginia General Assembly Delegation:
Transportation is one of the greatest challenges facing Northern Virginia. After decades of stalemate, this year’s transportation funding reform is a tremendous step towards addressing this problem. But our work is not done: We must continue working together to advance those transportation projects and solutions that are most critical to improving mobility and sustaining economic development and job creation efforts.
As leaders of the Virginia business community, we can tell you that one such project is the proposed Bi-County Parkway. This project has been included in both Loudoun and Prince William county transportation plans for years, as well as the Metropolitan Washington Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan. The environmental evaluation process has been underway since 2001, with a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and location approved in 2005, after significant public outreach. Finally, after a dozen years of study, the Environmental Impact Statement process is nearing completion.
Improving mobility between Prince William and Loudoun counties is essential to Virginia’s future prosperity. These two counties are two of the fastest growing jurisdictions in the United States. By 2040, their combined population is expected to increase by nearly 50 percent, with job growth exceeding population growth by a nearly two to one margin. As a result, inter-county travel between Loudoun and Prince William is forecast to increase by 91 percent. That 91% represents nearly 400,000 new trips between the two counties each workday.
Currently, almost every major road intersection north of I-66 is heavily congested during morning and afternoon rush hours and the back-ups are getting worse by the day. Something needs to be done to address this growing problem NOW.
The Commonwealth is investing billions of dollars in improvements in Northern Virginia to address congestion, with over $1.2 billion specifically allocated to major improvements in east-west travel. While these projects are tremendously important, they do little to alleviate the projected growth in north-south travel.
The Northern Virginia business community agrees with many of our community’s citizens, businesses and elected representatives that the Commonwealth must improve its effort to communicate the benefits and impacts associated with the Bi-County Parkway to those who will be most affected by this project. We appreciate that the Commonwealth has taken positive steps to improve its public outreach and communications effort on this project and we pledge to work with you, our state representatives, to ensure that improved effort is sustained.
At this time, we are not asking you to support or endorse the project; we are simply requesting that you reserve judgment until VDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Park Service, and the other public and private sector stakeholders, complete the necessary environmental process. Completing the Environmental Impact Statement process will ensure that all the relevant information and data is available to make an informed and rational decision on the viability and utility of the Bi-County Parkway.
Today and tomorrow’s Northern Virginians deserve that much.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
2030 Group
Access Point Public Affairs
American Concrete Paving Association, Mid-Atlantic Chapter
American Council of Engineering Companies-Virginia Chapter
Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington
Apple Federal Credit Union
Appliance Connection
ARGroup
Associated Builders and Contractors, Virginia Chapter
Barry Mark, member NVTA Board
Bennett, Atkinson & Associates, P.C
Bowman Consulting Group
Bridgman Communications, Inc.
Buchanan Partners LLC
C.C. Bartholomew, Long & Foster Realtors
Cardinal Bank
christopher consultants
Clarke-Hook Corporation
Committee for Dulles
Communicate By Design
DATA
DBI Architects, Inc.
Deborah Tompkins Johnson, Dominion Virginia Power
Didlake, Inc.
Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce
Dulles South Alliance
Dulles Virginia Association of REALTORS®
DuvallWheeler, LLP
Equinox Investments
Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce
Fortessa
Fortessa Tableware Solutions
Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce
Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce
Guernsey Office Products
Harvest Life Changers Church
HCA Virginia Health System
Heritage Landscape Services
Home Builders Association of Virginia
Hubert Construction
I-95 Business Park Management, LLC
Inova Loudoun Hospital
John McMahon, Miller & Long
JP Events & Consulting
Kelly Insurance Agency
KT Enterprises Inc.
KT Irrigation
Leesburg Pharmacy
Loudoun Cares
Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce
Loudoun Insurance Group, LLC
McLean Insurance Agency
MDA Technologies Group LLC
Mercure Business Park Association
Micron Technology, Inc.
MRP REALTY
MTCI – Management and Training Consultants, Inc.
NAIOP Northern Virginia
NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association
Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS®
Northern Virginia Building Industry Association
Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance
Nova Medical & Urgent Care
Novant Health
NOVEC – Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative
NVR, Inc
Old Dominion Highway Contractors Association
Paciulli, Simmons & Associates, Ltd.
Pamela Jones, Inc. – Owner, Extraordinary Transitions/Long & Foster REALTORS
Pangle & Associates
Prince William Chamber of Commerce
QMT Windchimes
R. E. Daffan, Inc.
R.W. Murray Co
REALTORS® Association of Prince William
REHAU Incorporated
Reston Hospital
Reston Limousine
Rinker Design Associates, P.C.
Road Star Internet
RxAlly, LLC
S.W. Rodgers Co., Inc.
Segmental Wall Solutions
Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center
Sevila Saunders Huddleston & White
South Riding Nurseries
Superior Paving Corporation
Telos
TETRA Corporation
The Lane Construction Corporation
The Peterson Companies
TML – A Xerox Company
Total Development Solutions
U.S. Transactions Corp.
Unanet
Uno Chicago Grill
Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, PC
Veatch Commercial Real Estate
VIKA Incorporated
Virginia Asphalt Association
Virginia Association of General Contractors
Virginia Association of REALTORS®
Virginia Paving Co.
Virginia Sign & Lighting
Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance
Virginians for Better Transportation
Volkert, Inc.
Washington Airports Task Force
Cc: The Honorable Robert F. McDonnell
The Honorable Sean T. Connaughton
The Honorable William J. Howell
The Honorable Kirk Cox
The Honorable David Toscano
The Honorable Ken Cuccinelli
Terry McAuliffe
Prince William County Board of County Supervisors
Loudoun County Board of County Supervisors