Author: Heather Mongilio

New Commuter Group Decries Proposed I-66 HOV Changes

By Heather Mongilio

Traffic on I-66(Updated at 10:15 a.m.) Some I-66 commuters have banded together in an attempt to oppose the Virginia Department of Transportation’s proposed changes to the highway.

VDOT is proposing to convert I-66 inside the Beltway to High Occupancy Toll lanes during peak hours, accessible only to buses, cars with three or more occupants, and those willing to pay a toll. Currently, I-66 is not tolled and is accessible to cars with two or more occupants during peak times.

The proposal also reportedly removes the allowance for Clean Fuel plates, which permits commuters with such plates, issued before July 1, 2011, to drive in the HOV lanes without meeting the passenger limit.

Hybrid vehicle owner, I-66 commuter and community organizer Greg Scott is the founder of a new group called the 66 Alliance. Scott says the new changes will hurt commuters who have used these lanes for years.

“That means that VDOT plans to repeal the commuting rules under which tens of thousands of Northern Virginians have made major life decisions — where to live, where to work, where to send their kids to school, and what vehicles to drive — without so much as a public hearing, notice or comment period,” Scott said in a press release.

(VDOT is, in fact, holding numerous public meetings and collecting online comments ahead of the project.)

The changes appear to be already decided, Scott claimed, based on conversations he had with VDOT officials. He said that his I-66 commute saves him about 30 minutes of travel times each way.

“So the choice would be [tolls] or 10 days of your life every year,” Scott said.

The Blues Return to Columbia Pike on June 20

By Heather Mongilio

Sonny Landreth performing (photo courtesy CPRO)

A date and a headliner have been set for this year’s Columbia Pike Blues Festival.

The 20th annual Blues Festival will be held on June 20 from 1-8:30 p.m. near the intersection of S. Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike.

This year the festival will be headlined by Grammy-nominated blues musician Sonny Landreth. “Bound by the Blues,” Landreth’s 12th album, will be released on June 8.

The Blue Festival is something the Columbia Pike community looks forward to every year, said Takis Karantonis, executive director of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO), which organizes the event.

“It’s Arlington’s biggest block party,” Karantonis said. “It’s a place where our entire community comes together.”

The Blues Festival features numerous food vendors and a beer station. Visitors can also stop by the tables of local arts and crafts vendors and community organizations. There will be at least seven or eight local food vendors, Karantonis said, adding that showcasing local food providers is a goal of the festival this year.

Karantonis expects at least 10,000 attendees this year.

CPRO has selected a national act for the headliner the past two years, Karantonis said. The other musicians are selected from the most active blues acts locally and regionally.

The 2015 lineup is:

The festival will also have a kids area and an artists area. Artists will be painting next to the stage to allow the music to influence their work, Karatonis said. The art will be auctioned off.