Wednesday night, Woodbridge District Supervisor Frank J. Principi hosted Virginia Secretary of Transportation, Aubrey Layne, and his senior leadership team at a town hall to discuss Better Transportation in the Woodbridge Magisterial District. “I believe this is the first time that we have had this many transportation leaders in one room in Prince William County”, said Supervisor Principi. Those who attended include:
- Aubrey Layne, Virginia Secretary of Transportation
- Grindly Johnson, Deputy Secretary of Transportation
- Charles Kilpatrick, Commissioner of Virginia Department of Transportation
- Jennifer Mitchell, Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transit
- Mike McGurk, Senior Corporate Relations Associate for Transurban
- Doug Allen, Chief Executive Officer for Virginia Railway Express
- Al Harf, Executive Director of Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission
- Dic Burke, Transportation and Land Use Director, Va. Department of Transportation
- Tom Blaser, Director of Prince William Department of Transportation
Within limited dollars available for transportation projects, Secretary Layne briefed the attendees on the new process for funding transportation projects moving forward. “All state projects will now go through a competitive process created with House Bill 2,” Said Secretary Layne. “It requires the Commonwealth Transportation Board to use five factors to rank projects: congestion mitigation, economic development, accessibility, safety and environmental quality.” Secretary Layne also spoke about the Route 1 widening project and Fast Ferry service on the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.
Mike McGurk, spokesman for Transurban, answered many questions from the audience about the I-95 Express Lanes, set to open on December 14. There will be a two week trial period for commuters to test it out before having to pay the tolls beginning on December 29.
Tom Blaser announced that there is funding coming from NVTA to expand Neabsco Mills Road from Dale Boulevard down to Route 1. Al Harf of PRTC announced the looming fiscal cliff in regards to public bus service. As gas prices continue to decline, so does sales tax revenue collected by PRTC to fund local bus service. Doug Allen of VRE informed the attendees that his company is continuing to look for opportunities to increase the number of trains to expand service for commuters.
“Woodbridge residents are tired of sitting in traffic,” says Supervisor Principi. “We are very appreciative of Secretary Layne’s time and leadership on the many transportation projects coming out of the ground in Prince William County.” Supervisor Principi is committed to building a New Woodbridge, a smart growth community that attracts high-paying jobs, reduces traffic congestion, and preserves residential neighborhoods. There is over $1 billion of new public/private money invested in the Woodbridge Magisterial District. Better Transportation is a tenant of the vision of a New Woodbridge aimed at providing transit options to residents by investing in transportation infrastructure, expanding service, and completing sidewalks and trails.
For more information on New Woodbridge, please visit www.NewWoodbridge.org.
Principi hosts Secretary of Transportation and Senior Leadership Team in Woodbridge
