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Transportation

It’s no secret that the number one obstacle to needed transportation improvements is a lack of funding. Yet, Mt. Vernon residents have still seen nearby transportation improvements, including the Fairfax County Parkway extension at Fort Belvoir and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project on the Beltway. Unfortunately, the stretch of Route 1 from the Beltway to Fort Belvoir, which serves as the backbone of the 44th District, has been entirely neglected.

Many of our neighbors completely avoid Richmond Highway, which has a devastating effect on our local businesses and those looking to move here. Problems with Rt. 1 spill over onto side roads, turning neighborhood streets into dangerous cut-throughs, and adding congestion to Fort Hunt Road and the George Washington Parkway.

While a long-term plan has been crafted on paper, its implementation is decades away and seems more unlikely each passing year. We need leadership that focuses on solutions that can actually get done.

Short-Term Improvements to Route 1

We need safety improvements along Route 1 – including sidewalks, medians, and crossing lights. It is unacceptable that pedestrians are routinely hit and even killed in our district. In addition to the huge public safety hazard, this un-managed foot traffic also slows down traffic, making congestion even worse. Safer roads will result in easier access, to both pedestrians and cars, and help bring back the customers to Route 1.

Mass transit has to be an answer. We need to get people to Fort Belvoir and Huntington Metro more efficiently than we’re currently doing. With the expansion of Fort Belvoir due to BRAC, Route 1 will be even more trafficked than it is currently. Many solutions have been offered. None have been executed. It is time for strong leadership on this issue.

Revitalization of Mount Vernon

Stretches of Route 1 still look like they did in the 1960s. As a result, businesses are leaving our corner of Fairfax for greener pastures, and new businesses moving in are likely to find a different location. We’ve seen the successful revitalization of other parts of the County, and are in the midst of it occurring at Tyson’s Corner and Springfield Mall. As Delegate, it will be my goal to make the revitalization of the Mount Vernon Route 1 corridor the #1 transportation priority in Fairfax County.

In addition to much needed transportation improvement, we need infrastructure improvements that attract businesses to move here and keep existing businesses from relocating. We need high-tech businesses and engineering and technical jobs to improve our tax base and provide opportunities for our citizens to work in the town in which they live. If more businesses are closer to Mount Vernon residents, shortening our daily commutes and our shopping trips, traffic will improve as a result.

Long-Term Improvements

Widening Route 1 and a Metro extension to Fort Belvoir are enticing possibilities for the future, but the truth is both remain far off in the future. We’ve seen how long it has taken to even break ground on the Dulles Rail Extension, and that has been in the works since the 1970s. As a Delegate, these remain long-term goals that it is important to continue to work towards, but we need to develop a new understanding of how to address our transportation problems.

It’s time to commission a new study with realistic goals based upon the existing parameters in place. We have the smartest workforce in the nation. We have the know-how to craft a solution that focuses on obtainable goals that focus on mass transit and revitalization without trying to simply appease residents with projects that can’t be completed within our lifetimes.

The Funding Formula in 2010 and Beyond

Every politician in Northern Virginia for the past 30 years has said they would try to change the funding formula that currently gives the region pennies for every dollar we send to Richmond. It’s never happened because we’ve been outvoted as a region by the rest of the state, who enjoy their beautifully manicured four-lane highways.

However, after the 2010 Census and the subsequent redistricting, the urban crescent of Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads will have enough to votes to allow our localities to get closer to our fair share back. It will be important for our delegates to be able to work across regional and partisan lines to establish this coalition. I can work with our State leadership and in the coalition of delegates from Northern Virginia. It is a critical time for our district to be represented.

Paid for and Authorized by Jay McConville for Delegate