<bt>Concerns about transportation continue to be the most common response I receive whenever I go door-to-door in my district. Even though the 43rd district receives significant transportation investments in the Springfield Interchange and the nearby Woodrow Wilson Bridge, constituents still demand better and quicker solutions for our traffic problems. And frankly, they deserve them.
As the senior member from Fairfax County on the House Transportation Committee, I continually look for new opportunities to leverage our financial and infrastructure resources to improve transportation in the region. This mission has become even more challenging over these recent years as we have seen Virginia's fiscal situation decline.
But there are measures that can be taken and I intend to initiate or continue the effort on several important fronts.
First, we must protect the transportation trust fund from further raids. We need to protect the money collected for transportation investment and not let that money be used for anything other than transportation. I voted in support of the House Resolution last session to protect the transportation trust fund even though the legislation died in the Senate Finance Committee. I will sponsor similar legislation during the 2004 session.
Next, we need to utilize the Public Private Transportation Act (PPTA) more now that our financial resources are limited. The Capital Beltway widening project is a good example where industry is proposing the usage of HOT (high occupancy toll) lanes to finance the construction of additional lanes on the Capital Beltway. I have thrown my support behind this innovative solution.
Efforts are needed to also promote the increased usage of mass transit, car-pooling and slug lines along the I-395 corridor. In fact, this past summer I met with the management of the Springfield Mall in order to establish a slug line on the eastern side of I-95 where none existed before. While the growth of the slug line is still slow, these kind of approaches are needed get more cars off of the roads.
Finally, one of my responsibilities as a delegate is to ensure that existing VDOT construction projects in my district stay on schedule with minimal disturbance to the surrounding community. Our efforts on the Springfield Interchange Project have been successful and we are focusing now on the Beulah Street widening project.
I have worked hard over the past four years to listen, learn and act on important transportation issues in my district. I will continue to fight for my district and Northern Virginia, and I won't make unrealistic promises just to get elected as some challengers do. My constituents deserve more than promises; they deserve results and I am confident that I served them well.