1. Attendance:
   1. Members: Dick Frank (Sully’s representative to the Transportation Advisory Committee), Jim Hart (Heritage Forest), Carol Hawn (Singleton's Grove), Mark McConn (Bull Run Civic Association), Jeff Parnes (Chantilly Highlands), Bill Ritchie (NECCA), and Larry Tessier (Franklin Farm)

   2. Guests: Al and Donna Matallana

2. VDOT held a Route 29 Public Information Meeting. The meeting reported on the continuing progress of the environment and other studies. Prince William County has endorsed the northern bypass route, which was emphasized.

3. The Joint Transportation Subcommittee of the Fairfax and Prince William counties Boards of Supervisors met to review the methodology for collecting traffic information on the nine crossings between the counties. The Washington Council of Governments will conduct a study in May asking selected participants to provide arrival and destination information. There are estimated to be 160,000 vehicles that cross the bridges from 5-10 in the morning and again from 3-8 in the evenings. Different routes may be used in the morning and in the evening. If COG can get a 10% response they will have sufficient information to finish their survey. They plan to have a preliminary report in June, with the final Origination and Destination Report in September.

4. Questions have arisen concerning the proposed Route 28 Bypass. Is it still buildable? Environmental concerns may have change since the road was planned. The success of the current Route 28 corridor configuration depends on the Bypass being built. The Bypass also forms the southern portion of the proposed tri-county connector that goes west of Dulles Airport

5. A bill to ban trucks on Pleasant Valley Road between US Routes 29 and 50 and Stone Road between VA Route 28 and US Route 29 has been introduced into this year's legislature. VDOT requires that seven criteria be met before trucks are banned from a road. Last year Pleasant Valley Road met three of the seven, this year it has met four. There may be possible opposition to this bill by the truck lobby and residents of South Riding in Loundon County. In the interim, VDOT has proposed immediate repairs to the shoulders on Pleasent Valley Road.

   A motion was made, and passed 3 yea, 0 nae, 5 abstain, to recommend that the full membership go on record as supporting the proposed bill. [Note: The legislature has since passed a bill banning through truck traffic on just Pleasant Valley Road].

6. The task force studying the concept of local organizations approving the imposition of $200 speeding tickets in their neighborhoods has not met. There is considerable question on how the process would work, and some are suggesting that the legislature revise the law to just make a $200 fine standard across the board..

7. The Fairfax County Park Authority is proposing a bond issue referendum to be voted upon this fall. The question of whether it should include funds for a western Fairfax recreation center, and where that center should be located, is still to be resolved.

   [Note: The Northern Virginia Regional and Fairfax County park authorities will conduct a joint meeting Tuesday, 31 March, at 7:00 p.m. at Chantilly High School to discuss needs in the area’s parks, the fiscal year 1999-2000 capital improvement program for Sully District parks, as well as a proposed $15 million recreation center in Western Fairfax County.]

8. A motion was made that Fairfax County should make an effort to identify a Virginia Railway Express stop that benefits the western portion of Fairfax County and protects and lessens traffic through Clifton. The motion passed unanimously.

9. Representative Frank Wolf, Tenth District, will hold a town meeting on Saturday, 4 April, at 9 am, at the Fairfax County Government Building. Area residents with concerns are encouraged to attend. [Chair's Note -- here’s a great opportunity to press for mass transit in the Dulles Corridor and on I-66!].

10. The next meeting of the Sully District Council Land Use and Transportation Committee will take place in the conference room adjoining Mike Frey's office on 7:30 PM on 2 March 1998. I won’t be able to attend due to a mid-term I’m scheduled to take on Tuesday, but see you next month!

Respectfully submitted,

Jeffrey M. Parnes
Chair, Sully District Council
Land Use and Transportation Committee