A new day is dawning for Northern Virginia motorists, and Virginia Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer is both pleased and excited about what the future holds for this area.
Praising Gov. Tim Kaine for the choices he's made to try to solve the transportation problems, Homer said, "We've made significant progress. What is about to happen in this region is quite revolutionary."
Homer, who also chairs the Commonwealth Transportation Board, was the keynote speaker at the Dulles Area Transportation Association's (DATA) 21st anniversary celebration and awards ceremony. The event was held last Thursday, May 17, at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly.
The day before, plans were approved for the construction of HOT (High-Occupancy Toll) lanes on I-95 and I-395 and the widening of sections of I-66 West in Arlington. And Homer said the keystone of it all is the Dulles Rail project that will begin work this fall.
"Our challenge now is to manage those projects," he said. "There's $50 million for project and congestion management," he told DATA and its guests. "And we're going to need your help in solving some of those problems because that's what this organization does — transportation management."
"We've got contracts for nearly $7 billion worth of construction," continued Homer. "But key to our future is regional governance of these projects."
He said telework and flexible time are also important components of a successful transportation program, and he urged area employers to consider making more use of these two options.
"The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority has the ability to raise over $400 million a year in revenue for this region," said Homer. "But that requires making hard choices to raise taxes to do these projects." He said there's never been a transportation authority with such power, and this one will put its money toward rapid transit and secondary roads.
Homer said local governments are good at determining road priorities and, with the NVTA, they won't be chosen by a "distant government" but, instead, will be done "right here in the community."
"It'll mean better consumer choices and more political responsiveness because of the elected officials who sit on this authority," he explained. And in addition to raising money, he said, the NVTA must also take into consideration how its decisions will affect land use and a balance of jobs.
"We need to think, act and execute as a region," said Homer. "How excited we are to be on the verge of executing the rail project for this corridor, [and] the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will be a wonderful partner."
He noted, as well, that the governor's budget also contains money to improve Route 50 in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. And he thanked DATA for all it does.
DATA is a Chantilly-based, transportation-management association that identifies transportation needs, advocates steps to meet them and provides a forum for information and actions resulting in a more-effective transportation system.
Before leaving the podium, Homer implored all those in the room to do what they could to help remove drivers from the roads. Said Homer: "As we begin this major project, I ask you, as employers, to think seriously about telework and flexible time."
Then Bob Chase with the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance told those assembled that they all need to "encourage our officials who were elected locally to think and act regionally."
"Unless we're very careful, we could spread this money too thin," said Chase. "So we need to encourage these state and local officials to work together to build a transportation system that'll work and leave a worthy legacy to our children."