Richmond, Virginia (July 19, 2005) – A joint committee created by the General Assembly during the 2005 session to study the reduction of highway noise abatement costs kicked off its work today in its first meeting. At that meeting Delegate Jeff Frederick of Woodbridge was elected the group’s chairman.

Frederick sponsored the legislation that created the committee and urged its passage after numerous constituents complained of increased noise along Route 234 in Dumfries as a result of a road widening project under way there. This project was fully funded over a decade ago by the state when far fewer residents lived along this now busy road that largely connects truck traffic between Interstates 95 and 66. No provision had been made to either fund or provide right-of-way for sound walls or other noise reducing measures and state and county policy, in Frederick’s view, does not adequately address the impact on these types of projects to homeowners.

In a letter from Frederick to citizens near Route 234, he wrote “there have been a number of issues I have inherited from my predecessors, many of them dating back a decade or more. This issue regarding the way the Rt. 234 widening project has been handled with little or no regard for you and your neighbors who live so close to it...” The creation of this committee, he says, is just one step he has taken to address the problem and attempt to find some relief for those impacted. Carol Harrison, a resident of the 52nd District agreed, saying in a letter prepared for the committee to Frederick that he read at the hearing: “There are many problems in how this road was widened after appearing to be a dormant plan on the books. The county did not protect the citizens...”

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) estimates highway noise abatement costs to be $1.5 million per one-mile of roadway. Frederick believes this committee may be able to lower that cost. “I’m hopeful of this commission. VDOT officials have told me that there are other ways to do noise abatement other than their current required methods. Apparently, other states have been successful in methods that do 80% of the job of traditional abatement for 20% of the cost, and it is learning more about these methods and making them available to VDOT for instances such as the one we face on Rt. 234 will be the work of this study,” he said.

In Harrison’s letter, she wrote: “Our overall concern is the fact that [VDOT] does not consider the impact of projects like this on the tax paying citizens… This project has dropped the ball for the residents and should consider ways to keep this from happening to other areas in the future.”

“Jeff is very focused on the growth in his area and the impact it is having on the quality life of the people he represents. This committee is just another example of how effective he has been at working hard for his constituents, and representing them in state government,” commented committee member Delegate Tom Gear of Hampton. “It is nice to know that we do have a voice in our State Government”, Harrison added.

This is the second legislative leadership position Frederick has been elected to in his brief 19 months in office. Earlier this year, Frederick was also elected Vice-Chairman of Virginia’s Small Business Commission.