Lack of respect? Connolly perturbed with D.C.

WASHINGTON -- When it comes to some major transportation projects across the Potomac River, is D.C. showing a lack of respect toward Virginia drivers?

Rep. Gerry Connolly, (D-Va.), tells WTOP the answer is yes.

"I think there is an issue here of respect for Northern Virginia commuters that is lacking. I think there is an issue here of communication, which was not even apparently an afterthought," says Connolly.

Connolly is particularly perturbed about the way roadwork on the Chain Bridge unfolded this week. Construction for the 14th Street Bridge Project also recently began.

On Friday, Connolly and Reps. Jim Moran (D-Va.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.) wrote a letter addressing their concerns to D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty.

In the letter, the Virginia congressmen applaud the District for addressing the road improvements, but say "communication between the D.C. Department of Transportation, Northern Virginia commuters, and the Virginia Department of Transportation has left a lot to be desired."

"It is clear that adequate advance notice was not given to the residents, workers and tourists whose commutes are being adversely affected by this work. Initiating construction on two of the five bridge connections between Northern Virginia and the District without such communication is unacceptable and unfair...."

The letter urges DDOT to "explore with its regional counterparts a better mechanism for coordinating communication and mitigation strategies about construction projects with regional significance."

DDOT had said major work on the Chain Bridge, which would shut down one lane of traffic on the bridge for eight months, would not begin until Wednesday. That work actually started on Monday, leaving hundreds of drivers to battle a severe rush hour Monday night and a rough ride Tuesday morning.

In addition to the Chain Bridge, DDOT has been criticized publicly by the Virginia Department of Transportation for the way it has handled planning for the 14th Street Bridge Project.

"I'm really getting rather disappointed with the fact that we are having projects brought to us without any explanation ahead of time," said Jo Anne Sorenson, VDOT representative with the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, recently.

"The failure to communicate with a quarter-of-million people, who use these two bridges -- and with your counterpart in Virginia, is almost criminal," says Connolly.

DDOT maintains that there has been plenty of advance about both the 14th Street Bridge and Chain Bridge projects.

"We shared the plans for the 14th Street Bridge rehabilitation with VDOT, Arlington and Fairfax County as far back as three years ago, and staff from Fairfax and Arlington attended the pre-construction meeting at DDOT," says DDOT spokesperson John Lisle.

He also says both DDOT and VDOT are communicating with one another.

When it comes to the Chain Bridge, Lisle does acknowledge there was a miscommunication between engineers and the contractor.

"We didn't mean to mislead anybody, the project moved faster than expected. But this is a fluid situation, and if there are significant delays we are going to address them."

In fact, DDOT says it has already taken steps to improve traffic flow around the Chain Bridge.

"The signal timing at Glebe Road was adjusted and has helped alleviate the morning traffic from Virginia. In addition, we are deploying an addition six variable message signs: four on the District side, one more in Virginia and one in Maryland near the Beltway to allow people to have a choice to go (over the bridge) or find an alternate route," says Lisle.

With 200,000 vehicles a day crossing the 14th Street Bridge, it is the busiest commuter route into and out of D.C. Another 22,000 vehicles a day use the Chain Bridge.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)