º Local Transportation Projects º

There are many transportation projects underway in and around the 43rd District. The long-awaited "missing link" of the Fairfax County Parkway is under construction, Mulligan Road from Hayfield to Route 1 is under construction, a fourth lane on I-95 from Springfield to Prince William County is under construction, a $237 million interchange at Telegraph Road and the Beltway is under construction, a turn lane from South Kings Highway to Harrison Lane and Route 1 is under construction, and expanded passenger rail (VRE) capacity is under construction.

Engineering and construction funds are also now locked away to widen the intersection of Telegraph Road and S. Kings Highway, easing more traffic through that difficult choke point. Engineering is also under underway to widen Route 1 between the Fairfax County Parkway and the Ft. Belvior main gates.

On the Beltway, a new congestion-managed toll road from Springfield to Tysons Corner is under construction, offering a transit alternative to Fairfax County's primary business center for the first time. Carpoolers, sluggers, and bus riders will be able to use the new HOT lanes for free. The project is being constructed using the nation's best Public-Private Transportation Act (PPTA). The PPTA is building rail to Dulles, and the Silver Line is also under construction. (You can read more about these projects in the Washington Post archives.)

As a result of all this activity, Northern Virginia is receiving over 40 percent of all available construction funds in the Commonwealth and about 80 percent of the interstate funds.

º Background º

Despite our success relative to the rest of the Commonwealth, we are still in a catch-up mode. Virginia has not passed a comprehensive transportation program since 1986, when the Commonwealth had 2 million fewer people. As part of a package of new dedicated transportation revenues—the gas tax "user fee" that raised the most money and is the most directly connected to the use of roads—was raised from 15 cents per gallon to 17.5 cents per gallon. It has not been adjusted for inflation since. Obviously, the purchasing power of the gas tax has declined for 23 straight years. There are two other dedicated transportation taxes: a 3 percent titling tax when a car is purchased, and .5 cents on the general sales tax. With car sales in a dramatic slump, and sales taxes down over 7.5 percent, VDOT faces a severe cash crunch.

Two widely visible results of this downturn in revenue have been the closing of the rest stops on the interstates and reduced mowing in the medians and other VDOT property. Over 35 percent of our Northern Virginia pavements are technically deficient. VDOT’s workforce has been cut from 10,500 three years ago to 7,500 this year. After maintenance is budgeted, transit funds are allocated, and the 20 percent state share of federal projects is paid, there is no construction money left to distribute by formula. Next year, Fairfax County will receive NO new secondary road funds from Virginia (all past funding for ongoing projects, like the Fairfax County Parkway, is locked in). However, since the passage of HB3202 in 2007, the County has the ability to raise real estate taxes on commercial properties. These funds are being used right here in the 43rd District.

º The Future for VDOT º

There are major secondary road projects across Northern Virginia, like the Van Dorn-Franconia intersection grade-separation, which will be funded only after our transportation revenues have been adjusted for the cost of doing business in 2009. The Van Dorn-Franconia project is part of a regional plan that cannot be funded until a 1986-era-quality bill is passed. In 2007, a bill passed with Mark Sickles' support that would have provided the $80 million cost of the interchange. The Attorney General at the time, Bob McDonnell, told the General Assembly that the bill was constitutional. However, the regional funding sections —- the meat of the legislation -- were struck down by the Virginia Supreme Court. The next year, the State Senate passed the most pro-transit, pro-Northern Virginia bill ever considered by the General Assembly. The bill failed in the House by 11 votes, with only one Republican voting 'yes,' Delegate Tom Rust (R-Herndon).

The majority Republicans in the House of Delegates remain in denial. One hopes that reality will eventually win out over short-term politics and will result in bipartisan negotiations and another opportunity for elected leaders to be responsible.

There have been some far-fetched proposals being offered in this campaign by the GOP. Unfortunately, there is no federal program to share speculative offshore drilling revenues with Virginia. Moreover, Congress will not allow Virginia to toll existing interstates at the North Carolina borders. We are very unlikely to sell ABC franchises, and if we do, it would not result in $500 million in one-time revenue as advertised. Even by adding new liquor taxes to the highest-priced liquor in the USA, we would be unlikely to earn more than the $111 million made from operating these ABC stores Virginia made last year. Finally, if you "lock away" a percentage of economic growth as is being suggested (when will growth start?), you are taking away funds that now would go to schools, colleges and universities, senior nursing home care, families with disabled children, the environment and natural resources, public safety, and corrections.