Ft. Belvoir, Va. –– Congress on Friday passed legislation that includes funding the widening of U.S. 1 at Ft. Belvoir.
Included the entire bill was $300 million, and only a portion of the money will be used for road widening. But the move comes in advance of the military’s Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, which is expected to move 20,000 new federal, military and civilian jobs to the base.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) says the money will be a much-needed boost to help ready the region for the influx of BRAC employees.
“With the deadline for BRAC completion less than six months away, the federal government has come late to the party to help Northern Virginia address the transportation challenges created by BRAC, but thankfully it has arrived. This new funding will help make significant improvements to the Richmond Highway, which is one of the two primary access routes for Fort Belvoir and the Army’s new premier medical campus. It builds on the recent investments made by the Recovery Act to complete Fairfax County Parkway, but still falls short of what is needed to ensure BRAC is a success in our community,” Connolly said in a press release.
In addition to Ft. Belvoir, Quantico Marine Corps Base and North Stafford will also see an influx of new workers shifted to facilities there as part of BRAC.
