The Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century, or TEA-21 as it is more commonly known, is recent transportation legislation passed by Congress that sets transportation policy and spending for the next six years.

       Thanks to Senator John Warner, $13 million of the TEA-21 funds have been earmarked to implement a Route 50 Traffic Calming Plan.  The grant is spread over a five year period and is contingent on an additional 20% in matching funds.

       The Traffic Calming Plan was developed by the Route 50 Corridor Coalition, a group of local residents, landowners and business people.  The Coalition was founded in 1995 in response to the State's expressed interest at that time in building a four-lane high-speed highway past Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville, Virginia.

       Beginning in 1996 the Coalition and other area residents worked with transportation engineer and internationally recognized traffic calming expert Ian Lockwood to create an alternative plan for calming traffic along 20 miles of historic Route 50.  Redesigning Route 50 within the villages with landscaped medians, raised intersections, crosswalks, and mini-traffic circles to self-enforce reasonable speed limits is part of the plan.  Interestingly, not a single speed bump is planned anywhere along the entire 20 mile stretch.

       Funding of the Route 50 project is in line with TEA-21's acknowledgement of the need to build and preserve communities and to consider the environmental and social consequences of transportation investment.  A guiding principle of Traffic Calming is that a roadway through a community is shared space, serving as important a function for residents, walkers, shoppers, and businesses, as for through travelers.

       Senator Warner was deeply involved in every aspect of the TEA-21 bill.  In pressing for inclusion of the Route 50 project in the legislation, the Senator not only responded to the determination of his constituents, but also viewed the traffic calming in a national context, envisioning the Route 50 project as a model Virginia could offer to the nation.  Both the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have expressed interest in conducting a comprehensive research project of Route 50's Traffic Calming Project.

       Traffic calming has the potential to significantly decrease injuries from collisions and pedestrian accidents.  Moreover, the Route 50 plan is economical, estimated to cost only 5% of the State's proposed four-lane highway with bypasses.