Kevin M. Raymond
Published: May 9, 2008

The Commonwealth of Virginia will hold a public hearing on the downsized six-year transportation plan. The recent Virginia Supreme Court decision eliminates funding sources for the Northern Virginia Transit Authority. As a result, the following plans for Prince William improvements were shelved:

$25 million for VRE improvements; widening of Prince William Parkway and Route 1 in Woodbridge; intersection improvements at Manassas Drive and Mathis
Avenue in Manassas Park; Va. 28 grade improvements and widening from Linton Hall Road to the Fauquier County line; $3.4 million for the City of Manassas.
In all, the county loses $46 million.  In addition, Prince William already spent $10 million to acquire rights-of-way for the Route 1 expansion. That will sit in
limbo and hopefully someone will come up with funds to mow the grass occasionally.

With Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) moving some 16,000 new employees to the Fort Belvoir area and south by 2011, traffic conditions will be further clogged. The very reason that BRAC is moving people away from the Pentagon area — to get them out of harm’s way — will be exacerbated when area traffic will be further gridlocked, particularly during emergencies. 

The upcoming special session of the Virginia General Assembly will provide area members of the Virginia House of Delegates from Fairfax south to Stafford to take action. The State of Maryland is working with BRAC to make smooth transportation a reality and it is essential that Virginia do the same. Nothing has happened for over 20 years to provide a revenue stream to support long-term financing of additional transportation modes.

The House has the responsibility and authority to deal with this issue. And many members of the delegation along the Interstate 95 corridor have seniority, including Prince William Delegates Frederick, Lingamfelter and Marshall, and House Speaker William Howell. 

The hearing will be held on the Annandale Campus of the Northern Virginia Community College on Wednesday, May 14. Come on out and tell the state what we want to improve and how to pay for it.

KEVIN M. RAYMOND

Dale City