HomeMy Public PortalAbout2013_07_23_R092 North-South Corridor Position Statement The Town of
Leesburg,
Virginia PRESENTED: July 23, 2013
RESOLUTION NO. 2013-092 ADOPTED: July 23, 2013
A RESOLUTION: LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL NORTH-SOUTH CORRIDOR
POSITION STATEMENT
WHEREAS, the Leesburg Town Council supports a timely-funded, and efficiently
functioning, multi-modal transportation system to alleviate traffic congestion in the Town of
Leesburg and its surrounding area for the benefit of residents of, and visitors to, the Town; and
WHEREAS, the planned interchange at Edwards Ferry Road and the Leesburg Bypass
has been an identified critical need for decades; but has just been added to the Virginia
Department of Transportation (VDOT) 6-year plan with only funding for the Design Phase
identified; and
WHEREAS, other needed transportation improvements for the Town of Leesburg, such
as the interchange at Route 7 and Battlefield Parkway, the completion of Crosstrail Boulevard, a
potential interchange at Battlefield Parkway and the Leesburg Bypass, and continuation of a
public transportation system in and through the Town of Leesburg are not yet funded; and
WHEREAS, the recently approved Virginia Transportation bill, that would add funding
for needed projects, is inadequate for the list of projects needing funding, with no direct revenue
stream to the towns, like Leesburg, that bear financial responsibility for construction and
maintenance of projects within their borders; and
WHEREAS, VDOT and the Commonwealth Transportation Board have identified a new
North-South Corridor of Statewide Significance that would connect Route 7 east of Leesburg
with I-95 in Prince William County, defined as the area generally east and west of: Route 234
(Dumfries Road) between 1-95 and 1-66; the Bi-County Parkway between I-66 and Route 50;
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A RESOLUTION: LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL NORTH-SOUTH CORRIDOR
POSITION STATEMENT
connections to the Dulles Greenway and Route 7 along Northstar Boulevard and Route 659
(Belmont Ridge Road); and
WHEREAS, the North-South Corridor could compete for funding with critical projects in
the Town of Leesburg; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Leesburg has taken the position that any new north-south
highway, such as the North-South Corridor, that connects 1-95 with Route 7 and terminates on
Route 7 and does not cross the Potomac River east of Goose Creek, will increase the burden on
the Town's taxpayers by increasing traffic through the Town on the Leesburg Bypass and Route
15, especially large truck traffic; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the Town of Leesburg in Virginia
establishes the following to be communicated to local, State and Federal elected officials
representing the Town:
The Town Council Opposes:
1. The North-South Corridor of Statewide Significance as a corridor connecting 1-95 to
Route 7 with a northern terminus on Route 7 just east of Leesburg with no plan for an
additional bridge crossing of the Potomac River east of Goose Creek; and
2. Any prioritization of funding for the North-South Corridor over needed projects in
Leesburg and Loudoun County, such as interchanges on the Leesburg Bypass and Route
7; and
3. The recommendations within the Northern Virginia North-South Corridor Master Plan
study; and
4. A North-South Corridor Study that does not demonstrate relief of traffic on U.S. 15 in
Loudoun County; and
5. The widening of U.S. 15 outside of town limits, which is part of the Hallowed Ground
corridor.
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A RESOLUTION: LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL NORTH-SOUTH CORRIDOR
POSITION STATEMENT
The Town Council Supports:
1. Funding roads to alleviate regional roadway congestion and substantially improve the
transportation system of the region, including construction of the interchange at the Route
15 Bypass and Edwards Ferry Road, construction of an interchange at Battlefield
Parkway and Route 7 with possible financial assistance from Loudoun County;
construction of Crosstrail Boulevard from Route 7 to Sycolin Road; urges county
financial assistance and consideration of an interchange at Battlefield Parkway and the
Leesburg Bypass; and
2. Funding for local traffic calming projects which would help reduce speeding and improve
safety; and
3. Funding safe pedestrian and bicycle travel; and
4. Continued funding for the County's Bus Transit System and Virginia Regional Transit
local routes to help reduce the number of vehicles on the roadways, improve access for
all residents and help commuters improve travel time to and from offices in and around
Leesburg, as well as to points east in Loudoun County, Northern Virginia and the entire
Metropolitan Region.
PASSED this 23rd day of July, 2013.
\N
Kris en C. Umstattd, Mayor
Town of Leesburg
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44,_i_.
Clerk of Count)
P:\Resolutions\2013\0723 North South Corridor Statement Resolution.docx