HJR 526: Virginia-Maryland-District
of Columbia Joint Legislative Commission on Interstate Transportation
May 17, 2002
Washington, D.C.
Three general topics made up
the commission’s agenda:
- Arrangements for discussions
between commission members and members of the Virginia, Maryland, and
District of Columbia Congressional delegations on the need for increased
federal financial participation in transportation infrastructure improvements
in the District and the Virginia and Maryland suburbs;
- Creation of regional transportation
authorities in Northern Virginia, suburban Maryland, and the entire
Washington metropolitan region; and
- Conduct of an origin-and-destination
study for vehicles using the American Legion Bridge between Fairfax
County, Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland.
Congressional Meetings
On the first subject, the members
discussed the difficulties that frustrated efforts of the commission (as
a body) to meet with the entire Congressional delegation (at a single
place and time) in the closing months of 2001, and the possibility that
some of these difficulties might be avoided by either (i) arranging for
selected representatives of the commission to testify during Congressional
hearings on pending federal legislation to reauthorize the federal transportation
program or (ii) having individual commission members meet one-on-one or
in small groups with individual members of Congress as and when opportunities
presented themselves. Commission staff was directed to obtain a schedule
of Congressional hearings on the reauthorization legislation and forward
that schedule to the commission, and representatives of the Virginia and
Maryland Departments of Transportation were requested to develop for the
members a list of priority projects whose funding by the federal government
was particularly urgent and also defensible on the grounds of both regional
security needs (such as evacuation in the event of a terrorist attack
or threat of attack) and the commuting needs of federal employees.
Transportation Authority
The commission was briefed on
legislation passed by the 2002 Session of the General Assembly that established
a Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and provided funding for
the authority’s projects by means of a half-cent-on-the-dollar increase
in the sales and use tax in Northern Virginia. In the course of discussion,
it was pointed out that implementation of this legislation was dependent
upon its approval by the region’s voters in a referendum to be held at
the time of the upcoming November elections.
A spokesman for the consulting
firm hired by Maryland to study the desirability of establishing of a
regional transportation authority for the Maryland suburbs of Washington
or for the entire Washington metropolitan area outlined the issues that
his company’s study would consider in assessing the need for, funding
of, and powers appropriate to any such authority. The consultants’ report
is expected in late summer or early fall of this year.
Delegate Hurson submitted for
the members’ consideration a draft resolution whereby the commission would
request the Governors of Virginia and Maryland and the Mayor of Washington,
D.C., to convene a conference on the creation of a single transportation
authority for the entire Washington region. In the course of discussion,
it was brought out that a similar proposal had been made within the past
five years by the Washington Board of Trade, but that the proposal had
not been embraced by the Virginia General Assembly.
American Legion Bridge
The day’s concluding presentation
dealt with the information that could be generated by conducting an origin-and-destination
study for vehicles using the American Legion (Cabin John) Bridge. It was
pointed out that, through Virginia DOT, as much as $400,000 could be made
available to fund a portion of the costs of such a study, provided that
Maryland and the District of Columbia were prepared to participate as
well. Some reservations were expressed as to the utility and reliability
of the results of such a study if it obtained data only on American Legion
Bridge traffic and not on traffic using other Potomac River crossings
as well.
Chairman:
The Hon. Vincent
F. Callahan, Jr.
For information,
contact:
Alan B. Wambold
Division of Legislative Services
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