Monday, February 25, 2013
"There simply is no existing revenue to fund our infrastructure needs. Passing along a chronic problem to future generations would be irresponsible and only worsen our economic recovery in the long-term."
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, February 25
Delegate Tom Rust (R-Herndon) issued the following statement regarding the General Assembly’s recent passage of the comprehensive transportation funding and reform package: “Ease of transportation is a basic need — it keeps the people and businesses that sustain our economy moving, and it is a core function of government to provide for a modern transportation system that can accommodate this need. Congestion and immobility not only hurt how we go about doing business in Northern Virginia, but our very quality of life. How we go about our daily routines, the ways in which we connect with each other and with our communities, and the health of our living environments are all inextricably linked to accessibility and mobility. “Working …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Member, Virginia House of Delegates, 67th District
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, January 15
Beltway Express Lanes are now open. The I-495 Express Lanes consist of 14 miles of new road capacity (two lanes in each direction) on I-495 between the Springfield Interchange to just north of the Dulles Toll Road. These Express lanes are free to vehicles traveling with three or more occupants. They provide, for the first time, HOV connections from the Beltway to other HOV routes including I-95, I-395, I-66 and the Dulles Toll Road. Vehicles carrying fewer than three occupants can pay a toll to ride in the Express Lanes. Prices for the Express Lanes change according to traffic volume. All Express Lane drivers must have an EZ Pass, and HOV-3 riders must obtain a special EZ-Pass “Flex” transponder from VDOT in order to ride for free. See: …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Virginia officials doubt Fairfax County will get money for transportation projects in 2013 legislative session.
As officials sat down Tuesday to discuss priorities for the legislature’s fast-approaching 2013 session, the county’s widely publicized road funding woes—a $3 billion need for road projects and improvements over the next decade—took center stage. The county faces a $300 million per year funding shortfall for the next 10 years. But nobody is quite sure where the money will come from. And at Tuesday's joint meeting of county supervisors and representatives from the Virginia State Senate and General Assembly, tidings were grim. “I honestly don’t expect a transportation bill to pass this session,” Del. Vivian Watts (D-39th) said. The Commonwealth’s Secondary Road Program, from which the county used to get $29 million annually, is dry. The …
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
After $300 million in metro funding stripped from state budget, Senator says Governor's office has sent mixed messages this session
Gov. Bob McDonnell's decision to withdraw support for $300 million in extra funding for the Silver Line last week is a departure from his previous offers to direct more of Virginia's spending plan to the project, says State Sen. Janet Howell, the latest in what she calls a string of "mixed signals" this session about the governor's position on the issue. The lack of support prompted state budget negotiators to strip the metro funding from the proposed plan, Howell (D-Fairfax) told the Washington Post, despite recent offers from McDonnell to contribute as much as $200 million toward the rail that will eventually run from Falls Church to Dulles Airport. Howell called the back and forth "galling," saying there had always been some offer on …
anonymous
5:28 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Let me be clears...I'm not for toll increases. But how can you argue that, "Phase 2 should be paid...by the future riders of the Silver Line through their fare card fees." The majority of the "future riders" spoken of don't current live or work in an area that currently has access to Metro. If the Silver Line is funded through fare card fees as you say, you are asking current riders (most of whom… more ›