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Facing down the HOT lanes
Last Thanksgiving, Tunc Krivanc bought an $800,000 home in Dunn Loring. Only a few months later, Krivanc is worried that his family's new home may come with a backyard accessory he didn't count on – the Capital Beltway.Under the currently proposed plans, a sound wall will be installed just 20 feet from the rear of Krivanc's house. On the other side of that wall will be the beltway, widened to 16 lanes. The road will be at its widest as it passes by Krivanc's property.
“My home is the most impacted property not being condemned,” said Krivanc, 41, testifying at the public design hearing on the beltway high occupancy toll lanes last week.
The HOT lanes construction will add additional lanes to the beltway. The hearings gave the public the chance to comment on plans for the public-private “megaproject.”
With such a massive project so close to construction, VDOT and private partners Fluor and Transurban don't appear to have much flexibility to adjust the project, though they welcome discussion.
“There's always room to talk about things, we want to respond to everybody,” said VDOT spokesman Steve Titunik.
At the hearings, representatives of local bicycle advocacy organizations requested better bike facilities along the beltway route, and residents of neighborhoods like Saigon and Windy Hill in McLean petitioned for noise abatement for their neighborhoods. But almost no one has a problem like Krivanc's.
“My wife and 9-month-old daughter live in that house. ... That's why I'm worried about this,” Krivanc said.
Eight properties in Fairfax County that were in the planned path of the HOT lanes are slated to be purchased by VDOT and demolished. Although Krivanc says he would consider selling to VDOT, the current plan only calls for the purchase of small portions of his land for easements.
Krivanc is not the only one caught out by the proposed HOT lanes. Last year, real estate giant BF Saul started work on Park Place II, an 11-story, $110 million Class A office building in Tysons Corner. It's almost finished, but under the proposed HOT lanes plan, that may be a moot point.
"Now we have a building we can't operate,” said vice president Patrick Connors, testifying on BF Saul's behalf at last week's hearings.
A planned connector road from the HOT lanes to Jones Branch Drive will cut off access to Park Place II's north entrance. According to Connors, VDOT proposals to fix the problem make the entrance problematic for truck access and emergency vehicles and may undermine the structural integrity of the building.
According to Connor's testimony, because the HOT lanes are public-private partnerships, the current plans could be seen as “an illegal taking of [B.F. Saul's] property rights for the benefit of another private party.”
Both Connors and Krivanc are quick to say that VDOT officials have been responsive to their concerns. Whether that translates to actual action on a billion-dollar project that is already going full steam ahead remains to be seen.
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