The Coalition for Smarter Growth warns Gov. Bob McDonnell’s transportation plans will only add more cars from sprawling new developments to Virginia’s existing traffic problems:
The state is borrowing $3 billion in state and federal funds on top of their normal annual spending for transportation, and we'll be paying this back for years. We should be setting smart priorities, but instead, VDOT is:
- Reviving the controversial Outer Beltway through historic landscapes at Manassas Battlefield — the first ten miles of which could cost $250 million to $475 million — instead of focusing on fixing existing commuter routes in Northern Virginia.
- Shifting $200 million in statewide money to a bypass in Charlottesville that won't fix major local traffic problems.
- Giving $750 million of our tax dollars to subsidize a private toll road (Route 460) through empty farmland southeast of Richmond.
Meanwhile, when asked to help fund critical Tysons Corner transportation needs, the Examiner reports that "Virginia's Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton warned Fairfax to look elsewhere for cash.”
It’s not surprising Bob McDonnell’s pandering to developers – he’s gotten more than $5 million in campaign cash from developers, real estate & construction, by a wide margin his biggest source of private sector contributions. The Coalition for Smarter Growth has a 10-step transportation agenda for Northern Virginia – really radical stuff, like “Bring our local elected officials back to the table in transportation decision making.”
Tell Gov. McDonnell to put our transportation dollars towards real solutions.
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