RoadS and Rail
Here is the rezoning application Traffic Impact Analysis
Ten years ago, the projected cost of the first three miles of the East-West Freeway was over $70 million. It's projected to be at least $194.5 million today. (According to the county's Capital Improvement Plan 2019-2023) The County admits this will be funded by local, state, and federal funds. (Let us add -- IF they can get the funding from state/federal. That's still your $$, by the way.)
Proposed E-W Freeway and Rail Line near existing Carver Middle School and “new” Harrowgate Elementary – safety concerns not addressed.
E-W Freeway approval should be pursued BEFORE the I-3 rezoning case. If the E-W Freeway Route and ROW acquisition is not approved or funded by Board of Supervisors, VDOT, or State /Federal entities PRIOR TO the zoning case – we could end up with 1675 acres rezoned to I-3 in the middle of residential, with no way to get to or service it.
Look at the history of Meadowville Technology Park's traffic issues.
Chester at odds over ‘superstreet’
Drivers to encounter new traffic pattern around Amazon center in Chesterfield during holiday season
East-West Parkway has significant impact on private property in its path.
North-South Connector from megasite to Route 10.
April 16 Mtg - EDA (and our transportation dept) admit that Route 10 will be significantly negatively impacted, but road costs do not include fixing those problems caused by the megasite.
Traffic noise from the trucks on East-West Parkway will impact all in its path. Here's a decibel comparison. Note that 80 dB is 2 times as loud as 70 dB. Some highlights:
- Passenger car at 65 mph at 25 ft (77 dB); freeway at 50 ft from pavement edge 10 a.m. (76 dB).
- Diesel truck 40 mph at 50 ft (84 dB); Freight train (at 15 meters) (89 dB); Diesel train at 45 mph at 100 ft (83 dB).
- Garbage truck (106 dB).
- Possible damage in 8 hour exposure to 80 dB.
- Quiet Rural Area 30 dB is 1/16 the intensity of 70 dB.
Trucks hitting the rumble strips will be heard for miles. (ask those living near 288)
The preferred route of East-West Pkwy requires taking out the current Harrowgate Elementary and placing in the Harrowgate Park space. The community will lose its public park, shelter, and ball fields.
Proximity of homes to new proposed roads -- Health concerns, for example:
L.A. keeps building near freeways, even though living there makes people sick
Advisory for putting homes within 1000 feet of freeway
Residential Proximity to Major Highways — United States, 2010
"The worst air quality in the United States can be found within about 5 football fields of any highway — where 1 in 10 Americans live. Millions of Americans breathe this air every day. And as a result, they suffer from an increased risk of cardiac disease, according to a new study from researchers at Tufts University and Boston University." Source
REALITY VS. WHAT THEY'RE TELLING US
Is the county going to install infrastructure first in order to attract a tenant? It says "no" (and sometimes the county says "yes") but Meadowville Technology Park didn't attract a tenant until the 295 interchange was completed some 7 years after the project first began.
They (county officials) tell us different things. Is the East-West Parkway a done deal, irrespective of the megasite zoning case? The answer depends on the day and the answering party. Of course, the thoroughfare plan map tells its own story. It's April 2018, eight months after the governor's announcement -- THEY still don't know what they're doing about the roads!
And there's this POTENTIAL REALITY: "But location isn’t everything. For a mega site to be competitive, it must promise that any development on it will proceed quickly. As a result, many mega sites undergo elaborate preparation. Infrastructure for transportation and utilities may be upgraded." ~ Kevin M. Mayer, Trade & Industry Development, April 30, 2007