Why has the previously approved and funded Mass Transit Study for Richmond Highway by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation not gotten underway? That question was posed by Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerald Hyland at the July 9 meeting of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (BOS).
Citing the fact that the U.S. Department of Defense is progressing on implementation of the Base Realignment and Closure Report (BRAC) to bring an additional 22,000 personnel to Southeastern Fairfax County by September 2011, Hyland said, "At a minimum, Richmond Highway needs six lanes as shown in the Comprehensive Plan, from the Wilson Bridge to Occoquan."
As he explained to the BOS, "The mass transit study needs to be complete before the Virginia Department of Transportation will begin to allocate construction funds. Only through the coordination of expanding existing infrastructure and implementing alternative transportation means, does this area stand a fighting chance to accommodate the 20,000-plus workers being assigned here by the BRAC decision."
Emphasizing BRAC's 2011 implementation deadline, Hyland stressed, "This funded, yet delayed mass transit study needs to be started as soon as possible." To that end he asked unanimous consent that a letter, over the signature of BOS Chairman Gerald Connolly, be sent to the Commissioner of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation and VDOT Secretary inquiring why the study has not been initiated.
He also requested that the County Executive work with VDOT and the County Department of Transportation "to determine the steps to ensure that this study begin now." It was approved.