Northern Virginia Business Community Resolution
Transportation Is State Responsibility
Fund Regional and Statewide Transportation Now
We the undersigned Northern Virginia organizations representing businesses employing most of Northern Virginia's private sector workforce believe that immediately addressing Northern Virginia's transportation crisis in a significant and sustained manner is critical to the continued growth and workforce needs of Northern Virginia's economy and to the long term health of the state's economy.
We further believe the Commonwealth's statewide transportation infrastructure is a critical component of the economic success and the quality of life of all Virginians.
We are concerned that Virginia's statewide transportation maintenance deficit is increasingly draining construction accounts and is expected to result in the loss of an estimated $80 million this year and more than $500 million over the next six years in state construction money for Northern Virginia as the cost of individual projects and materials skyrockets.
We urge members of the Northern Virginia legislative delegation and all state legislators to adopt a statewide funding package now to provide a new, sustainable and dedicated annual revenue stream that generates an additional $400 million to address transportation construction funding needs for this region.
Additionally, investments of at least $1 billion annually must be made to sustain statewide maintenance and construction programs. The most appropriate solution is a package of revenue generators which are simple, sustainable, sufficient and broad-based. These new statewide revenue sources would be in addition to legislative corrections to existing regional plans, not in lieu of them.
New statewide revenues should be used first to properly fund basic maintenance of Virginia's existing roads and bridges in order to stop the loss of existing highway construction and transit revenues to maintenance. The remaining funds should then be dedicated exclusively to transportation infrastructure and transit improvements.
Over the past several years, we have consistently advocated for a regional self-help transportation solution recognizing that state funding resources alone will never adequately address our regional transportation crisis. A self-help transportation funding package for Northern Virginia is intended to enable our region to supplement state funds to expand transportation capacity by building more projects quicker.
A Northern Virginia self-help transportation funding package must not be viewed or used as a replacement for diminishing state transportation funds. In order for Northern Virginia to make significant progress in addressing our regional transportation crisis, it is essential that the Virginia General Assembly address the statewide maintenance funding crisis this year so that state transportation construction funds continue to flow to the region at currently projected levels.
Funding transportation is a state responsibility.
Analysis of Virginia's severe transportation funding needs has been ongoing for over a decade. All of the arguments have been made. The needs continue to grow. The time for the Governor and General Assembly to act is now.
Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington * Arlington Chamber of Commerce * Committee for Dulles * Dulles Area Transportation Association * Dulles Corridor Rail Association * Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce * Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce * Greater Washington Board of Trade * Heavy Construction Contractors Association * Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce * National Association of Industrial and Office Properties-Northern Virginia Chapter * Northern Virginia Association of Realtors * Northern Virginia Building Industry Association * Northern Virginia Technology Council * Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance * Prince William County-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce * Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce * Washington Airports Task Force