Area Panel On Roads Examines New Role

Members are also wary of the Transportation Department, having become familiar with its shortcomings over the years. They say they will probably rely on the department's economies of scale and experience in megaprojects and the speed of local governments to get as many projects done as quickly as possible.

The authority is a strange creation in Virginia politics: empowered to make major taxing, funding and construction decisions but restricted by the General Assembly to voting on fees and increases approved by legislators.

The authority's power is "something that is, frankly, revolutionary in terms of Virginia," said Gerald E. Connolly (D), a panel member who is chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. He said the creation of the authority takes a big step away from the commonwealth's tradition of concentrating power in Richmond.

Although no voters cast ballots for authority members, 12 of its 14 voting members are elected officials on other bodies. The authority includes the top elected official, or a designee, from each of the nine Northern Virginia jurisdictions; two members appointed by the House of Delegates; one appointed by the Senate; and two appointed by the governor.

"It's a strange combination, really," said Mark J. Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University. "You could have some real accountability problems. Members have a lot of power to affect a lot of people outside their voting jurisdiction."

That so many members are heads of governments could help the authority avoid the pitfalls of other powerful organizations, such as the urge to create fiefdoms and expansive bureaucracies.

Authority members also must rely on each other to choose what projects are built because of a complex voting system that attempts to balance the interests of small and large localities. The interconnection of the region's transportation systems provides another incentive.

For example, the widening of Interstate 66 in Arlington helps commuters in Fairfax and Prince William as much as, if not more than, those in Arlington. Similarly, improvements to the Dulles Toll Road in Fairfax would also be a boon to Loudoun County drivers.

But that does not mean dealings will be free of conflicts, especially because congested roads are at the top of the list of frustrations for Northern Virginia motorists.

"That's where it can get particularly ugly down the road -- no pun intended," Rozell said.