Politics & Government

Governor Proposes BRAC-Related, Other Local Transportation Improvements

Local projects total more than $5 million; governor says they could improve state's economy.

Local transportation improvements related to the federal government’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program at Fort Belvoir and in the surrounding areas will total more than $5 million, according to an illustrative project list issued Tuesday by the Governor’s office.

BRAC-related improvements at Fort Belvoir total about $1.4 million, and improvements in areas surrounding the military base total about $4.3 million. These improvements in surrounding areas include extending the Fairfax County Parkway from Rolling Road to Fullerton Road ($3.3 million), direct access lanes from Interstate 95 North to Ft. Belvoir and improvements to other areas roadways.

The illustrative project list issued by Governor McDonnell’s office outlines more than 900 statewide projects totaling $4.4 billion. The General Assembly passed the Governor’s transportation plan on February 27.

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These projects would be funded under the multi-faceted approach that creates a Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank, accelerates the sale of $3 billion in pre-approved state bonds, and issues $1 billion in federal Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles (GARVEE) Bonds to finance federal projects. The program also encourages private entities to enter into agreements to construct, improve, maintain, and operate transportation facilities.

The General Assembly session ended on February 27, a day later than anticipated. Governor McDonnell is currently reviewing bills, including the bill creating the Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank. This particular piece of legislation (HB2527/SB1446) passed the House, 80-16 and passed the Senate, 33-7. Senators Ticer and Whipple voted against the bill. As of noon Wednesday, Patch had not received statements from Sen. Ticer or Sen. Whipple’s offices regarding their votes.

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Legislators will reconvene in Richmond on April 6 to act on the governor’s enactments and vetoes.

According to research conducted by Richmond consulting firm Chmura Economics and Analytics, Virginia’s economy would expand by $13.1 billion and support 105,642 additional jobs through 2017 if Governor McDonnell’s transportation plan is completely implemented.

Out of the $13.1 billion in total impact, $7.2 billion is direct construction spending while $5.9 billion represents the ripple effects, according to the Governor’s office. Benefits generated by the projects would exceed costs and would have an average economic impact of $2.2 billion and support 17,607 jobs annually through 2017.

“Our transportation plan is aimed at putting Virginians back to work improving our transportation network,” said Governor Bob McDonnell in a statement. “This analysis by a nationally recognized economic firm reinforces that our program—the largest influx of transportation funding in a generation—will not only address the needs of the aging highway system upon which we all depend, but it will also provide a needed injection of funding into our economy to spur recovery from the difficult recession of the past several years.”

“The time is now for these transportation investments,” said Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton in a statement. “Construction bids are coming in well below estimates, and interest rates are very low. Responsibly advancing bond sales and accelerating projects can bring tomorrow’s transportation improvements to citizens today.”

The full list of transportation improvements is available in a PDF from the Virginia Department of Transportation. Fairfax County projects start on page 18 of the list.


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