In Bi-County Parkway Debate, Trust in Gov’t Issue Looms

OPINION 

I attended the April  Prince William Committee of 100 Panel on the Bi-County Parkway.  If you don’t know what that is, you are probably reading the wrong column.  As is usually the case, the panelists presented two opposing views on the merits to a mostly skeptical audience.

If I were to sum up the two opposing views, I would suggest that those defending the project, Bob Chase of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, and Gary Garcynski, of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, represented the, “We’re from the Government, and we are here to help you” point of view.

Charlie Grymes, of the Prince William Conversation Alliance, and Jim Rich, a former member of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, represented the “we’ve seen your work, please leave us the hell alone” crowd.

For the record, the room was filled with the “we’ve seen your work, please leave us the hell alone” crowd.  Should you have the fortitude to actually watch the video, you will quickly grasp that Charlie Grymes and Jim Rich were the “hometeam favorites”.

Committee of 100 panels often provide the tipping point for community issues.  While there have been sparsely attended public hearings, town halls, and occasional articles about the inevitability of the Bi-County Parkway, this was probably the first “head to head” debate (and it was a debate) regarding the merits of laying more asphalt in western Prince William county.

Anyone who reads local blogs, newspapers, or friends’ political Facebook pages will quickly recognize that while we are talking about a Parkway, that’s really just a symptom of a much bigger problem:  trust in the government and the decisions it makes.

Simply put, it appears to this columnist that Prince William County residents have little faith in Sean Connaughton, the Transportation Secretary  of Virginia, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, or organizations who represent those who will profit from this major construction project.

The Commonwealth’s strategy is simple:  Continue to propagate the narrative that the Bi-County parkway is inevitable, the folks planning it know what’s best for us, and we just don’t really understand the “big picture.”

The residents or Prince William County aren’t buying the narrative.  They want the Government folks to go back where they came from.  The folks who attended the April Committee of 100 program simply don’t trust the math, doubt the messengers, and have no desire to see their homes, farms, communities, lifestyles, and future torn up and replaced with asphalt for what they consider to be a dubious undertaking.

The Commonwealth failed to make its case to the people of Prince William County that the Bi-County Parkway is really necessary.  Secretary Connaughton et.al. may fight this, or they may recognize their failure to start with the people instead of the project and develop the grass roots support required before you decide to tear up a County.

I could write ad nauseum about the details of this project; however, I suggest you simply Google “Prince William Bi-County Parkway” to see what’s going on.  There is a lot of analysis in the blogs, the local press, and on Facebook.  If I were to recommend two websites that best represent the respective views the Prince William Conservation Alliance probably best represents the residents, and the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance best represents the Commonwealth and business interests.

You will also find that three Northern Virginia Delegates and three Senators are on record opposing this project.  I find this particularly interesting because it sets up those elected to represent Northern Virginia’s residents against those appointed to bureaucratic positions.

You may draw your own conclusions.  I’ve already drawn mine.  This isn’t about the Parkway.  Its about public trust in Government and the decisions it makes.

Connaughton et.al. deserve to lose this battle.  They screwed it up.  We will either see hubris following the “those hicks in Prince William just don’t get it” (in which case, things will really get nasty since our residents are one of the most educated, most politically engaged populations on the planet), or they will try a little humility and recognize their mistake.

I think a little humility on the part of the Commonwealth is in order.  To take any other path will be a much more humbling experience as the opposing Army’s take sides for the next battle of Manassas.