Opinion
Whether you live, work or are just passing through Northern Virginia, the 30-mile stretch of Route 1 that connects the Capital Beltway to Aquia Harbor is one of the nation’s most congested transportation arteries.
Portions of Route-1 carry an average of 231,000 vehicles per day and, even with improvements, vehicular traffic will only increase in the coming years.
As Mayor of Dumfries, I have been a leading voice in support of a cohesive, regional approach to improving the Route 1 Corridor, and I am a supporter of high-speed commuter trains to ease traffic congestion. Now I am running for Virginia Senate to take my experience on this issue to Richmond, and to move us beyond endless talk and duplicative studies, and towards long-term solutions for the Route 1 corridor.
The first step to resolving congestion is to admit that enough studies have been conducted– talking is over and action is now required.
If elected, I will champion House and Senate bills that distribute funds fairly to transportation corridors that have high density traffic and actively participate in dialogue with local governments. I will ensure that all modes of transportation – car, truck, bus, pedestrian, bike, Metro, Virginia Railway Express, high speed rail and waterborne – are part of the solution.
Moreover, I will be an advocate in Richmond for transportation safety and improvements, this includes much needed bridge repair and replacement along with support for law enforcement and first responders whose job policing Route 1 and responding to the near daily accidents is daunting to say the least.
The 36th Senate District includes Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford counties along Route 1, but not all three counties are represented on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA).
As such, Stafford County road projects are not coordinated with Prince William and Fairfax counties. The disconnectedness is an issue that must be remedied. Additionally, a veritable web of federal, state, county and local governments, elected officials and agencies complicates matters, even when all have the best of intentions.
As Senator, I will make it my highest priority to bring all of these entities and people together – putting party politics aside – to affect positive and lasting change for our commuters, residents and business owners.
Each of the counties within the district has done a good job in developing and maintaining their Capital Improvement and Comprehensive Plans this includes infrastructure and traffic considerations. These documents are planned with VDOT so one hand is talking to the other.
As a Senator, my job is not to tell the counties how to do their planning, rather my function is support infrastructure improvements and put legislative and funding vehicles in place that ensure a quality of life that meets our citizen’s expectations.
As an example, Fairfax anticipates high-intensity residential and commercial development around the Huntington and Franconia-Springfield Metro stations, and Prince William is planning intensive growth around the Woodbridge VRE station, and a future VRE station at Potomac Shores north of Quantico. As Senator I would work with each county and discuss what could be done in Richmond to support their vision.
Northern Virginia is vying for over $400 million in state transportation funds that would help ease the region’s worst traffic congestion. Your Senator’s job is to bring needed state and federal transportation funding to this region and ensure the citizens and business owners are not unfairly taxed at each level. Your Senator should ensure that constituent’s money is wisely spent.
