'An Uphill Struggle' for N.Va. Roads Plan

By Amy Gardner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 15, 2006

A $417 million plan by Northern Virginia Republicans designed to ease area traffic problems faces the same obstacle during an upcoming special session of the General Assembly that has thwarted similar efforts all year: opposition from House leaders to new taxes or fees.

"It's an uphill struggle," said Del. Thomas Davis Rust (Fairfax), who helped draft the plan. "Obviously, we have a lot of obstacles. We have a lot of folks who don't understand how severe the problem is in Northern Virginia."

Rust and other backers of the regional proposal, which would raise and spend money only in Northern Virginia, have gained the support of some business leaders, local government officials and their counterparts in Hampton Roads, who are crafting a similar measure for that traffic-plagued region.

But House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) signaled the difficulty the plan faces this week when he said Virginia can address its transportation needs with existing resources.

Such declarations confound most lawmakers in Northern Virginia -- especially Republicans, who hear daily from frustrated constituents seeking congestion relief and who are watching with growing alarm as Democrats prevail in election after election dominated by traffic and growth concerns. Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine swept Northern Virginia last year promising solutions on both counts.

"Ninety percent of the calls I get to my office deal with some kind of traffic problem," said Del. David B. Albo (Fairfax), a primary author of the regional proposal. "At least let me solve my own problem. If you're not going to help me out, at least help me solve my own problem."

Lawmakers have spent nearly the entire year trying to agree on a plan that would start to fix traffic problems that have become among the worst in the nation. They are again heading to Richmond at the end of the month for a three-day special session dedicated to coming up with transportation solutions, and they are going there with divisions that have persisted all year.

Albo and others say their let-us-help-ourselves plan makes sense because Northern Virginians are desperate for relief from gridlock and are willing to pay for it themselves, even though businesses and residents pay the largest portion of state taxes.

Howell said he recognizes the urgency of the issue, particularly in Northern Virginia, but he believes tax increases in a year of nine-digit surpluses would be irresponsible.

"It's easy to go out and say, 'Let's raise a million dollars,' " Howell said. "There's an overwhelming majority of my caucus that says: 'This isn't a good idea. If we can't find reliable, continuing money, then we shouldn't be doing this.' "

Those who support the Northern Virginia proposal say that's exactly their aim, too. The plan would assess a variety of charges, including fees as high as $7,000 on new homes as well as higher fees to register new vehicles. Backers say the costs would be paid primarily by the newcomers most responsible for growing congestion on state roads.

Because most of the burden would be borne by businesses, the average Northern Virginia resident would pay only $30 more per year, Albo said. "What an incredible bargain this is for people," Albo said.

Albo's plan would send $50 million per year to Metrorail and $30 million to Virginia Railway Express. A large chunk would be divided among the jurisdictions according to where the money was raised, and the remainder would be controlled by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, a regional entity that would be required to spend a portion of the revenue on smaller road projects in addition to larger ones.

"I didn't want the authority blowing all the money on three big projects," Albo said. "My real concern is to make sure my constituents can get out of their house."

The type of small project that the money could go toward is the widening of Rolling Road, which has been scheduled to be expanded from two to four lanes for more than a decade, Albo said.

The type of big project that would benefit is the Fairfax County Parkway, which is planned to be extended to Fort Belvoir.

Not everyone in Northern Virginia supports the proposal. The Fairfax County Republican Committee issued a proclamation this week opposing proposals that require new taxes or fees. The Home Builders Association of Virginia opposes it because of the proposed fee on new homes.

Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick (R-Prince William) said he plans to vote against it. "Raising taxes on hardworking Northern Virginia families is not the answer to our transportation problem," he said.

Backers of the regional plan note that business leaders in Northern Virginia, many of them in real estate, are calling for some solution to traffic. "We have not endorsed a specific proposal, but we are urging the legislature to go ahead and adopt a transportation funding solution," said Jim Williams, executive vice president of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association.

Backers also say their plan represents the best hope for a meaningful fix to the state's ailing transportation network in a year when raising taxes and fees across the state is unlikely. Kaine's earlier proposal to raise taxes by $1 billion statewide to pay for new road and transit projects froze the legislature for six months and helped bring the state to the brink of a budget crisis.

The last thing legislators want is to come home empty-handed -- particularly in an election year in which traffic and growth once again are bound to be major themes.

"We're in a jam," said state Del. Joe T. May (R-Loudoun), who supports the regional plan. "We can't really afford to wait longer to address it."