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Transportation projects on tap for region
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(Brig Cabe/Examiner)
A road crew sections a right-turn lane ahead of work to improve the intersection of Prince William Parkway and Liberia Avenue in Manassas. The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority plans to approve about $186 million in new projects over the next two years at a meeting tonight in Falls Church, just two days after the Virginia Supreme Court heard a lawsuit questioning its taxing authority. The NVTA is moving to change the focus from seven controversial taxes and fees to the long-awaited transportation projects the taxes would fund. “This is the part the public cares about,” NVTA Vice Chairman Martin Nohe said Wednesday. “These are construction projects for both road and transit throughout the region, so everybody’s going to get some direct benefit from it.” The 35 projects include improvements to Routes 1, 7, 15 and 28 and range from $36.9 million toward a streetcar line along Columbia Pike to $200,000 for planning a municipal parking garage in Falls Church. The NVTA began collecting taxes Jan. 1, but will delay spending until a Virginia Supreme Court decision expected later this winter. “We want to be a results-oriented organization,” Fairfax County Chairman Gerry Connolly said. “There has been a lot of talk about our transportation needs, and the time for action is overdue.” Rebuilding the King Street Metro Station parking area in Alexandria for $2.24 million and widening a portion of Prince William County Parkway in Woodbridge for $11.3 million share billing as the highest-priority projects. “What we’re trying to do is get Northern Virginia moving,” NVTA Chairman Chris Zimmerman said. The 6 p.m. public hearing at the George Mason High School Auditorium will allow residents to weigh in on the broad range of proposals directly before a vote from the 14-member board. Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance President Bob Chase planned to question whether several projects, including the trolley line, meet the authority’s objectives. “I think the people of this region want to see transportation improvements, but they want to see projects that make a difference,” Chase said. |