On Transportation, Allen and Webb Share Views
Va. Senate Candidates Seek Metro Extension, Easing of Toll Road Construction

By Eric M. Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 30, 2006

U.S. Sen. George Allen (R) wants Virginia to get back every dollar it sends to the federal government in the form of gas tax revenue. So does his Democratic challenger, James Webb. Webb is in favor of a plan to give $1.5 billion in federal funds to Metro if regional officials match it. So is Allen. Both support a plan to extend Metrorail to Dulles International Airport.

In a close Senate race that has focused on character issues and radically different views on the war in Iraq, the candidates agree on federal transportation policy and the need to increase Virginia's share of federal largess.

The Virginia Department of Transportation estimates that it will receive $876 million from the federal government this fiscal year and that the amount will increase an average of 2.5 percent over the next four years.

The candidates say that is not enough.

"Virginia gets back the lowest rate of return, ninety-one cents of every dollar we pay in gas taxes," Webb said in a statement. "We need to do better, especially given the extensive congestion created by the federal government facilities in Northern Virginia."

The Allen campaign said the senator also supports the goal of returning 100 percent of Virginia's contribution to federal gas-tax revenue, saying he worked last year to increase the state's level to 92 percent.

Both candidates support a bill by U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) that would pump $1.5 billion into Metro's operations if Virginia, Maryland and the District matched the funding. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is pending in the Senate. Allen tried to get the bill out of committee and passed by the full Senate as the session was wrapping up last month, campaign officials said.

Securing federal funding for an extension of Metro's Orange Line to Dulles has been Allen's top transit priority, according to his Senate office.

Allen avoided a controversy this year on whether the project should include an expensive tunnel through Tysons Corner that could have jeopardized funding by raising the cost above federal guidelines. Allen agreed with Davis and Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) that the overall project's success was more important than the tunnel but thought that state and local officials should make the call. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) decided against the tunnel.

Webb understands Kaine's decision.

"The bottom line is that he supports the way the governor is handling it, but it's a shame that it can't move forward in the way it should because of a lack of federal funding," said Webb spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd.

In a debate last month, the candidates said they were generally in favor of making it easier for private companies to build and manage toll roads. With a lack of state funds for new highways, Richmond officials are negotiating with private companies to build express toll lanes on part of the Capital Beltway in Virginia and along interstates 395 and 95.

The privately financed express lanes are considered a way to build expensive capacity at little cost to taxpayers. The automatically collected tolls would fluctuate based on the amount of traffic, ensuring that the lanes would be congestion-free. Buses and carpools would travel free.

At the same time, traditional state-funded road-building is stuck in the slow lane because of a lack of consensus on how to pay for more roads and transit projects. The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority has identified more than $17 billion in highway and transit needs across the region, a figure that would require nearly $700 million a year during the next 25 years.

State legislators failed to come up with a plan for additional roads and rail funding in a special session last month. Earlier this year, Kaine proposed raising taxes on cars and insurance and increasing other fees to raise $1 billion for transportation. The effort failed.

"Jim thinks the federal role is to help fund Tim Kaine's plan," Todd said. "Before any new taxes are levied on Virginia consumers, Jim believes we should make sure Virginia is getting its fair share of federal gas tax dollars back."

Allen served as Virginia governor from 1994 to 1998, and his campaign released a three-page list of transportation projects and studies that were completed on his watch. Campaign officials said he has done more while on Capitol Hill.

"Senator Allen has a very real record of accomplishment working with Senator [John W.] Warner and congressmen Davis and Wolf on a variety of projects that directly affect Northern Virginia. Our opponent does not," said Dick Wadhams, Allen's campaign manager. "That is the clear difference."

But critics blame Allen for gutting VDOT during his term as governor by offering a buyout that cost the agency 11 percent of its workforce, including a sizable number of experienced engineers. Some of the subsequent problems with project delays, cost overruns and weak oversight can be traced back to the exodus, critics say.

"That's absolute nonsense," said Robert E. Martinez, who was Allen's transportation secretary. He said the state's transportation and maintenance budget grew during Allen's tenure.

Martinez said Allen stopped the raiding of the transportation trust fund to pay for other government services and introduced legislation that allowed for the kind of public-private partnerships that are making the toll-road projects possible.

"Transportation was not a problem issue during George Allen's tenure," Martinez said.