Don't waste our money. Don't destroy our history. Stop the Outer Beltway!
The "zombie road" is back with a vengeance! Once again, lobbyists are pushing for an unneeded and wasteful Outer Beltway, seeking to divert scarce tax dollars from the needs of existing commuter roads that are choked with traffic. The Outer Beltway would do nothing to solve our current traffic problems, but instead would open new land to sprawling development, adding yet more traffic to existing commuter routes.
The Wall Street Journal reported on this oft-overlooked fact in their recent article, "More Roads, More Traffic."
Moreover, the Outer Beltway would run through historic land on the western boundary of Manassas National Battlefield, destroying this hallowed landscape, even as our nation honors the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War.
Please sign our petition calling on Governor McDonnell and Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton to protect Manassas Battlefield and stop this unneeded and fiscally irresponsible highway.
The state is at a crossroads. Taxpayer funding is limited and we cannot afford to waste billions of dollars on roads that will not address our major congestion problems and would, in fact, make our traffic problems worse. We need to focus on fixing major commuter routes, potholed roads, and aging bridges and transit systems instead of opening more land to speculative development.
For these reasons, we oppose the proposed Outer Beltway in Northern Virginia, which would extend 50 miles from I-95 in Stafford County to Leesburg.
Furthermore, this four to six-lane new highway would run through the unprotected historic district and landscape on the western side of Manassas National Battlefield. It would destroy the sense of history around Brawner Farm, site of some of the most intense fighting of the Second Battle of Manassas.
Thousands of cars and trucks, with their noise and pollution, would scar this hallowed ground. Yet, it doesn't have to be this way because reasonable, alternative transportation solutions are available, and would protect this national historic site. As we commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, we must honor our history not destroy it.
For these reasons, we urge you to invest our tax dollars wisely and to permanently protect one of Virginia's, and the nation's, most historic sites. We urge you to oppose the proposed Outer Beltway in Northern Virginia and the destruction it would cause at Manassas Battlefield.
Don't waste our money. Don't destroy our history.
