We have been living in Western Loudoun County for almost a decade, and are residents nearby the proposed route 9 Hillsboro bypass, specifically in Birch Hollow Hamlet, a close-knit community designed with preservation of the rural character of Loudoun in mind.

We wanted to strongly voice our opposition to the proposed bypass from Route 9 to Route 7 west of Hillsboro as well as the widening of Route 9 From the West Virginia line to Cider Mill Road. We understand this proposal is being considered for inclusion in the Countywide Transportation Plan. It must be removed from the plan. It has no place in it.

This is true for numerous reasons, the major ones from our perspective:

1. This plan does not benefit our community. It provides a means for commercial trucking and out of state residents to use western Loudoun as transit, and nothing more. The only conceivable benefit is a minor economic one and goes to businesses that spring up in support of the road (7-Elevens, gas stations, fast food restaurants, etc), which is not a reason to destroy the rural character of the area.

2. An alternative that is not a private toll road would be insanely expensive and not remotely feasible, particularly because the primary benefactors are not part of the tax base that would be funding it. This leaves a toll road as the only alternative with a chance of funding it.

3. Private Toll roads are notorious for being money sinks that don't really benefit the local economy. One doesn't need to look much further than the Dulles Greenway, which is arguably the most successful private toll road in Virgina, and is also consistently a money-looser (and thusly a tax benefit) for its owners, and something whose toll is perpetually increasing.

4. The bypass will only attract more traffic from West Virgina over time, encourage development in West Virginia and will exacerbate the problem, not improve it. So long as a non-toll alternative exists, people will continue to use that alternative and it will remained backed up. A toll road not magically make this better.

5. There are already numerous alternatives for the West Virginia commuter. In depth studies have already recommended directing traffic from 340 to Route 7. We should encourage the West Virginia commuter to use this preferred route in conjunction with the Hillsboro traffic calming plan to relieve much of the suggested 'problem' on the section of route 9 that is being targeted for development, not make it easier to avoid it.

6. The bypass will destroy the unique character of Hillsboro, and the character of this part of Loudoun County. It will damage the environment and it will damage the rural economy.

7. The bypass only benefits developers. At the June 4th meeting with Michael Baker Corporation consultant Lorna Parkins, it was revealed that the proposed route was provided by the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, and includes a path that goes through and included by a local developer who has pushed for this for years.

8. At the March 29th meeting of the Board of Supervisors, she stated that the increased traffic of a toll road will overwhelm the area rather than improve things. Supervisors Clem and Stanton instructed them to look at the bypass anyway, and at the next meeting, they were suggesting a bypass. It doesn't take much to see that this isn't being driven by what's best for the county. Supervisor Clem has even come to understand that inclusion on the transportation plan is not best for the county.

9. The bypass is in violation of the county's General Plan, which states that one of the goals for the county is to preserve the rural area of western Loudoun County, including the ridges and valleys of the Short Hill and Blue Ridge Mountains. The proposed road would pass through the valley directly between these two ridge lines.

10. The bypass will require invoking Eminent Domain, which is contrary to state and local government policy. Even on the federal level, looking at recent Supreme Court precedent, it's impossible to construct a reality where it will provide an economic benefit to Loudoun County, particularly western Loudoun County

11. The bypass/toll road proposal remains as contrary to public opinion as it was a decade ago when it was first proposed. Area residents should not be forced to waste time and resources to defeat the proposal again.

12. The bypass has been poorly planned and insufficiently studied. The Loudoun County Office of Transportation Services staff has admitted it is being unduly pressured by the Board of Supervisors to get the project done. The directory of OTS states that her staff did not follow the normal sequence in getting this project done.

This is not how public policy is supposed to be carried out.

The right approach to dealing with the perceived problem is not to issue invitations for more people to use Loudoun as a transient county, but instead to encourage the use of routes that are already designed to accommodate growth, and to use Hillsboro's traffic calming plan a chance to work. The bypass will only make the problems anticipated over the next 25 years much worse than projected, and will improve nothing.

The Kovers
Purcellville, VA