Northern Virginia leaders are invoking a “transportation funding crisis” to clamor for more dollars from the General Assembly in 2012, saying the Governor’s $3 billion transportation plan last year wasn’t enough to ease congestion in the economic hub of the state. A group of 26 businesses and advocacy groups banned together this week to sign a resolution calling on Gov. Bob McDonnell and state lawmakers to find $400 million per year in funds dedicated for transportation.
“Transportation is not a cost; it’s an investment. Investment in transportation creates jobs, creates economic investment, broadens your tax base, holds other taxes down for the general population,” said Bob Chase, who signed the resolution for the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance.
| The top 10 bottlenecks for the region, according to the newly released National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board’s 2011 Aerial Congestion Survey: |
| 1. Northbound Interstate 395 (from Washington Boulevard to Jefferson Davis Highway) |
| From 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., average speed is 5 mph. |
| 2. (tie) Inner Loop Interstate 495 (from Georgetown Pike to George Washington Memorial Parkway) |
| From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., average speed is 5-10 mph. |
| 2. (tie) Southbound I-395/Southwest Freeway (from 4th Street to 12th Street) |
| From 6 to 7 p.m., average speed is 5-10 mph. |
| 4. Eastbound Interstate 66 (from Leesburg Pike to the Dulles Access Road) |
| From 6 to 7 p.m., average speed is 7-12 mph. |
| 5. (tie) Inner Loop I-495 (from Maryland Route 355/Interstate 270 to Maryland Route 185/Connecticut Avenue) |
| From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., average speed is 10-15 mph. |
| 5. (tie) Outer Loop I-495 (from Dulles Toll Road to Chain Bridge Road) |
| From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., average speed is 10-15 mph. |
| 7. (tie) Outer Loop I-495 (from Interstate 95 to New Hampshire Avenue) |
| From 8 to 9 a.m., average speed is 12-20 mph. |
| 7. (tie) Inner Loop I-495 (from Gallows Road to Arlington Boulevard) |
| From 8 to 9 a.m., average speed is 12-20 mph. |
| 9. (tie) Eastbound I-66 (from Virginia Route 234 Bypass to Sudley Road) |
| From 7 to 8 a.m., average speed is 15-25 mph. |
| 9. (tie) Westbound 11th Street Bridge (from Interstate 295 to Southeast Freeway) |
| From 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., average speed is 15-25 mph. |
A separate group of local leaders, called the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, have also decried a “transit funding crisis,” calling on Richmond to pass “major new revenue sources,” including a higher gas tax, for trains and buses.
“Judging from the decline with the service in Metro and the deterioration on our highways, the state has not done an adequate job funding Northern Virginia’s transportation needs for some time,” said Dave Snyder, a member of the Commission and vice mayor of Falls Church.
Local leaders blamed the state for funneling dollars to projects in southern Virginia while ignoring the desperate claims of congested northern Virginians. They also criticized the McDonnell administration for only finding one-time sources of funding instead of annual taxes.
But others said Virginia should be cautious about how it finds and spends its transportation dollars.
“We shouldn’t just throw money at the problem. No successful business would do that. They really need to be watch-dogging how that administration is spending the $3.3 billion they were given by the legislature this year,” said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton did not return requests for comment.
