HJR 154
Virginia--Maryland--District
of Columbia Joint Legislative Commission on Interstate Transportation
October 23, 2000, Washington, D.C.
Several members urged the commission
to focus on modest, do-able projects, so that success in smaller endeavors
would provide a foundation upon which more ambitious undertakings could
be attempted in the future. Among the most frequently mentioned needs
and difficulties were:
- Construction of a new Potomac
River bridge or bridges;
- Improvement in regional air
quality;
- Pursuit of addition federal
financial support;
- Increased public support for
transportation improvements;
- Improved coordination of land-use
decision-making and transportation planning;
- Increased private sector participation
in making improvements;
- Streamlining or easing of
federal and state regulatory impediments to transportation improvements;
- Increased use of latest technologies
to make toll collections more efficient, thus easing public opposition
to toll financing of highway construction projects;
- Briefings from transportation
professionals on transportation needs from a coordinated, region-wide
basis, rather than a state-by-state or locality-by-locality basis;
- Comprehensive assessment of
the needs for Capital Beltway improvements;
- Construction of an alternative
to the Capitol Beltway for use by long-distance through-traffic; and
- Generally increased funding
for mass transit.
Following this general discussion,
the members agreed to send a letter to the Metropolitan Washington Council
of Governments, expressing their support for Congressman Frank Wolf's
proposal to study construction of a Potomac River bridge upstream of the
American Legion Bridge. It was also agreed that the commission's next
meeting, most likely in early December, would include a bus tour to highlight
some of the region's most pressing transportation needs.
The Honorable Vincent
F. Callahan, Jr., Co-Chairman
Legislative Services contact:
Alan B. Wambold
THE
RECORD
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