Virginia business leaders are growing increasingly frustrated with politicians' failure to address an eroding transportation network that saps productivity, increases costs and makes it harder to recruit workers.
Long delays on Northern Virginia's major highways threaten the engine of the state's economy, business and transportation officials say.
Traffic at a standstill on the Beltway in Virginia near Maryland during evening rush hour. The annual delay per rush-hour traveler in the region totaled about seven workdays in traffic in 2002.
(Michael Robinson-chavez -- The Washington Post)
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Hampton Roads is not so far behind. Problems with Interstate 64 construction and the failure to build more James River crossings have bogged down the region.
Even southwest Virginia suffers, with commuters and truckers fighting for space on Interstate 81.
"I suspect that there is some party gamesmanship going on," said C. Michael Petters, president of Northrop Grumman's Newport News shipyard. "I guess I don't have a lot of patience for that. I'm really at a point where we need to see results."
From 1986 to 2003, the number of vehicle miles traveled on Virginia roads rose 80 percent while new-lane miles increased in the single digits.
Housing shortages have accelerated congestion by pushing residents farther away from their jobs. A healthy economy and higher defense spending have further strained the highway grid, particularly in the state's northern and eastern sections.
Despite the extra pressure, the Virginia Department of Transportation's budget has not increased substantially since the 1980s.
Since 2001, the state has cut its six-year road-building program by more than one-third, forcing VDOT to shift almost all its efforts to maintaining existing roads and facilities while putting off plans for new construction.
As the last legislative session closed, Del. Richard H. "Dick" Black (R-Loudoun) told legislators he had informed residents that transportation was a priority but that the new budget contained no significant funding for roads and transit.
"The public can take a cynical view and ask, 'Can we really believe these guys ever?' I think it's a betrayal of the people of the state of Virginia," Black said.
In the upcoming session, Black said, he is optimistic about transportation funding in part because of the pressures lawmakers are feeling. He said he would introduce a bill to protect money designated for transportation.
Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) has proposed spending $824 million to pay off debts on road projects, fund road-building ventures with private partners and help rail and urban transit.
State officials caution that the money, mostly from an expected surplus, would make only a dent in Virginia's transportation needs.
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