Posted on 04/22/2010 10:54:55 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
ARLINGTON, Va. - A lawsuit which could delay the Virginia HOT lanes project will go forward, a U.S. District Court ruled Thursday.
The suit, filed by the Arlington County Board, says the high occupancy toll lanes planned for a stretch of Interstate 95/395 are intended to benefit mainly rich, white, suburban and rural residents of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties.
The new toll road is planned to run between Spotsylvania County and the D.C. line.
Arlington says the added traffic would come at the expense of the county's diverse urban population and constitute a violation of civil rights.
"We'll find out if we win the case in the long run, but the basis for this challenge is absolutely validated," Arlington County Board Chairman Jay Fissette says.
The suit also says Virginia bypassed required environmental impact studies required by the Clean Air Act. The court removed individual office holders named in the lawsuit from any personal responsibility.
Arlington County came under pressure last November from neighboring Fairfax County to settle the lawsuit, which they claimed could possibly cause the entire program to be scrapped.
The state is hoping to secure a contract for a private company for the job by June 1.
WTOP's Hank Silverberg contributed to this report.
I could have sworn that the HOT lanes were going to be on 495 from Springfield to the Dulles Toll Road.
The I-495 project is already in progress. The lanes this article discusses are planned to run on I-95 from just south of Fredericksburg to the Pentagon, and they will replace the existing HOV lanes.
What an absolutely horrible idea. Sure, it will raise some money, but a lot of commuters won’t pay it and the rush hour traffic will just become an even bigger nightmare than it already is.
Hmmm. I thought it was to reduce traffic for those who ACTUALLY GO TO WORK. Take that ever how you want, media and lefties.
Maybe they’ll install HOT lanes on Columbia Pike...hey, I’d pay to use them.
That is a nice drive, just watch for speed traps on 17 from Winchester to 66 just pass Paris.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.