By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 25, 1999; Page C01

Anger over Northern Virginia's traffic problems has risen so sharply this summer that state lawmakers can barely shop at the mall or walk down the street without catching an earful. And that's nothing compared to the grief they're getting when the region's business leaders corner them in increasingly pointed meetings.

They hear about delivery trucks trapped for hours, about workers arriving stressed-out and grumpy, about desperate drivers cutting through once-quiet suburban neighborhoods. And most alarming of all, they say, they're hearing about high-tech businesses threatening to leave town, taking the region's remarkable prosperity with them.

This anxiety has elevated transportation from an important issue to the preeminent one in legislative races throughout the region, lawmakers say. And as Republican Gov. James S. Gilmore III chooses study over immediate action, many in his party are feeling vulnerable to Democratic attacks aimed at the man they call "Governor Gridlock."

"He's a popular governor, but I would hope he would get out front on it," said Del. Vincent F. Callahan Jr. (R-Fairfax). "He's going to have to do something prior to the election to show he's really committed to solving our transportation problems."

Republicans are hoping Gilmore saves the day with a dramatic announcement sometime before November's election, when every legislative seat and control of both houses of the General Assembly are up for grabs.

Administration sources say there is serious discussion over making a specific transportation proposal, complete with an eye-catching price tag, in the next few months, particularly if Gilmore can fund it without raising any taxes.

But if he doesn't, Republican lawmakers say, they are prepared to continue distancing themselves from the governor rather than be accused of dragging their feet on the issue their constituents seem to care most about.

Gilmore has made transportation a top priority, administration officials say, but he's been looking for comprehensive solutions while not undermining the tax-cutting initiatives that have been the hallmark of his administration. In May, the governor created a 21-member study commission and urged the panel to think creatively about solving the state's transportation problems.

"The governor is currently reviewing options to deal with Virginia's transportation needs but will not settle for a quick-fix solution in the form of tax increases," says Mark A. Miner, Gilmore's spokesman.

Business leaders say that while a tax increase isn't their first choice, they'd rather pay a higher gas tax, for example, than see their businesses strangled by traffic congestion they expect to get even worse as the Springfield "Mixing Bowl," Wilson Bridge and other highway projects get under way.

Anne Crossman, president of Completed Systems, a software developer in Vienna, says traffic is wreaking havoc with her ability to reach customers. Her company has been turning down jobs in Maryland rather than brave Potomac River crossings. She is frustrated by the pace of progress on the issue.

"You've got to fix it in less than 20 years," Crossman says. "In 20 years, I could be dead. There has to be relief sooner than that."

David Guernsey, president of a Chantilly-based office products company that has 130 employees and 50 vehicles, singles Gilmore out for criticism.

"I think there's a vacuum of leadership," says Guernsey, also vice chairman of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce. "All we do is talk and study and put committees together."

If the Republicans don't act on transportation, the Democrats are ready to move in. They've already devoted one news conference to the issue and proposed several ideas, including devoting a portion of the state's hefty surplus to road improvements.

"The governor has put the Republicans in a box," says Del. Linda T. "Toddy" Puller (D-Fairfax). "I think they're very frustrated and want to move forward, too."

Winning transportation funding has usually been a bipartisan fight for Northern Virginia lawmakers. One-quarter of the General Assembly comes from the region. Together, they've made alliances across the state to get projects moving even when governors didn't.

This year, for example, Puller and Del. John A. "Jack" Rollison III (R-Prince William) worked together to help win $104 million for a Northern Virginia transportation package that Gilmore grudgingly signed.

Election years sharpen partisan divisions, but even so, seven of the region's Republican lawmakers joined with 16 Democrats in signing a letter last week that called for immediate action on transportation. And though Republicans fought to soften the language, the final version maintained a sharp, urgent tone.

Sen. Jane H. Woods (R-Fairfax), who is locked in a tough reelection fight against former Democratic congresswoman Leslie Byrne, says she hears the complaints from constituents constantly, particularly when she knocks on doors while campaigning. Traffic has gotten far worse even in the last year or two, voters are telling Woods, who signed the letter to Gilmore.

Northern Virginia residents "are devastated by the amount of time their kids are spending in day care," Woods says. "They are missing their kids' soccer games, and they are missing their kids' baseball games. And they feel rotten about it."

Some Republicans are working on ideas of their own, including the possibility of new tolls, an increase in the gas tax or dipping into the state's general fund, which Virginia leaders have been reluctant to use for transportation projects. To make a dent in the region's tens of billions of dollars of road and transit needs, new borrowing will be needed, lawmakers say.

Del. John H. "Jack" Rust Jr. (R-Fairfax), who's running not just for reelection but for the speakership if Republicans win control of the House, is working on a proposal to borrow as much as $3.5 billion for transportation statewide. One-third, he says, would go to Northern Virginia. He calculates that debt costs would drain $250 million a year away from the general fund.

Without such a bold move, Rust says, companies will begin fleeing the area in search of more liveable communities.

"The governor needs to step forward soon if he's going to step forward," Rust said. "If he doesn't, then the [Northern Virginia] delegation is going to have to."

Former Republican governor Linwood Holton, who lived in McLean for 25 years before moving this month, says Gilmore's call for "innovative thinking" on transportation goes only so far with voters.

"When you sit in that traffic a little while and hear this guy talking about innovative and creative solutions, you say, 'Okay, but let's get some roads built, too,' " Holton said.