The $824 million transportation plan Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) unveiled last week would provide a modest boost for road and rail projects in Northern Virginia, but it still leaves lawmakers and local leaders looking for solutions to the region's traffic congestion.
In some cases, the potential effect of the new funds is easy to spot. The plan includes $40 million for 20 new Metro rail cars and $20 million for 11 new Virginia Railway Express cars. That would allow Metro to extend some of its rush-hour trains from four to six cars and VRE to buy bigger, more modern cars.
In addition, the plan would allow the state to fix some bridges and roads in several Northern Virginia jurisdictions, results that motorists would see within several years.
"The plan will improve the quality of our citizens' lives," Warner said last Thursday when he announced the plan.
His proposal would allow local governments to obtain state money to start some secondary road construction, rather than wait for money from the federal government, a lengthy process that sometimes slows projects.
Instead of waiting for $650,000 from Washington to widen a part of West Ox Road, Fairfax County could tap the state for that money, which would be made available through an $80 million fund in Warner's plan. With money in hand more quickly, localities could go about their construction faster, which would ultimately benefit taxpayers, Warner said.
"Many local governments over the years have said, 'Well, we can [build roads] quicker and cheaper,' " Warner said. "Well now . . . we want to say, 'Go to it.' "
In other cases, Warner's program would pay for things not so obvious. The transportation plan, which will be part of the budget amendments he will submit to the legislature next month, would pay off long-standing debts on road projects throughout the region.
In addition, Warner has proposed spending $23 million to improve the state's rail network so trains could carry more cargo from Norfolk to Northern Virginia. That, in turn, could reduce truck traffic and lead to gradual decreases in traffic congestion, state officials said.
Local leaders and advocates for transportation improvements said Warner's plan is only part of a solution for Northern Virginia, where concern about worsening traffic congestion is widespread.
"This is only taking a bite out of the issue," said Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Sean T. Connaughton (R), who is running for lieutenant governor. Connaughton said he understood the constraints state leaders are under.
"It's an important step, and an issue that we're going to have to keep coming back to with different solutions," he said.
Some have said that state leaders have not offered a larger, more comprehensive plan for transportation because the problem is not uniformly severe across Virginia. Traffic congestion is most severe in the two largest urban areas, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Politicians in other regions are unwilling to support large investments of state money to solve the problems of those two areas.
"There's a drastic need in transportation, but it's really only acute in two areas," said Del. Brian J. Moran (D-Alexandria), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. After a protracted debate over education and health care during the 2004 legislative session that resulted in tax increases, it would be difficult to raise taxes again in the upcoming session, he said. Plus, 2005 is an election year for the House of Delegates.
"Last [session], there was largely consensus that education funding was needed from Abingdon to Arlington," Moran said. "And it was an excruciating process . . . just to raise money for services that everyone acknowledged needed more funding."
Leaders in Northern Virginia agreed.
"Transportation needs don't rise to the same level in parts of the state outside of Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads," said Chris Zimmerman (D), an Arlington County Board member who also represents the county on the Metro board. "It's just not the same issue for them as it is for us, . . . and Richmond won't give us the ability to solve our problems."
Some Republican lawmakers from rural areas said they appreciate the seriousness of the issue but disagree on how to go about funding projects. They said that proposals for larger, more comprehensive solutions have relied too heavily on increases in the gas tax or other levies that many delegates oppose.
"Anyone on the Interstate 81 corridor knows that we have tremendous needs," said House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem), whose district is in the state's southwestern corner. "But I think those who want to see new revenue are still thinking in an old mold. We need to discuss different ways of funding transportation."
