Nov. 24, 1999 - Motivated by proposals to widen Interstate 66 inside the beltway, over 100 Northern Virginia residents formed the Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation (ACST) to insist that their voices be heard in the process of determining the future of the highway.

The mission of ACST is to ensure that I-66 is not changed unless the changes are part of a comprehensive regional plan and are made with community consensus.

"The people who are most affected by I-66 - those who live next to it - ought to be consulted in the decision process," said Carl Hallinan, president of the Bluemont neighborhood civic association in Arlington and an organizer of ACST. "If something must be done about the traffic, we will insist that all the alternatives be explored with the input of Arlingtonians."

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, whose district lies west of Arlington, and Gov. James Gilmore have both called for adding lanes to I-66 to relieve congestion. This would violate the Coleman Decision, a compromise the county reached with federal officials in 1977 which cleared the path to build I-66 after vigorous opposition from county residents. The compromise, named for then-U.S. Secretary of Transportation William T. Coleman, Jr., restricted I-66 to four lanes in Arlington with Metrorail running down the median, and imposed HOV restrictions and a ban on trucks.

"In light of the fact that the Coleman decision would be broken by adding lanes, no plans for I-66 should move ahead until Arlington gets its say and all alternatives are fully considered," added Hallinan. Over 500 Arlington homes were cleared away to build I-66, which was completed in 1982 at a cost of $280 million.

ACST organizers noted that the idea of adding lanes to I-66 inside the beltway is not part of even the most ambitious regional transportation plans, and it may bring great disruption and cost with little lasting benefit. They cited the phenomenon of induced traffic, where expanded roads encourage more driving and cancel out the benefits in a few years.

Those interested in more information or working with ACST may contact Miriam Rollin at 703/538-7981 or marollin@aol.com.