Northern Virginia picks transportation projects to fund
For years, leaders in Northern Virginia have been asking Richmond to let Northern Virginia raise its own money to spend on its own transportation priorities. They are finally getting the chance.
When the Virginia General Assembly passed a broad new transportation funding bill earlier this year, it included a section letting Northern Virginia raise and allocate hundreds of millions per year. Those new taxes began rolling in on July 1, with the beginning of Virginia fiscal year 2014.
On Wednesday night, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) officially approved its first set of projects. The authority allocated about $210 million, split roughly evenly between transit and roads.
The largest projects include the Silver Line’s Innovation Center Metro station, new VRE railcars, and widenings along Route 28.
NVTA also approved a bond validation lawsuit that will preemptively ask Virginia courts to rule on NVTA’s legality. That process should take 6-9 months, and NVTA will have to wait until it’s over to actually start spending money. Taking the issue to court now means NVTA won’t have to spend years fending off other court challenges.
The project list is below. For more details, see the project description sheets on NVTA’s website.
Project | Funding (millions) | Location |
Transit and multimodal projects | ||
Innovation Center Metro station | $41 | Fairfax Co. |
VRE railcars | $19.8 | Regional |
VRE Lorton station 2nd platform | $7.9 | Fairfax Co. |
WMATA buses | $7 | Regional |
WMATA Orange Line traction power upgrades for 8-car trains | $5 | Regional |
DASH buses | $3.3 | Alexandria |
Potomac Yard Metro station environmental study | $2 | Alexandria |
Crystal City multimodal center bus bays | $1.5 | Arlington |
VRE Gainesville extension planning | $1.5 | Regional |
VRE Alexandria station pedestrian tunnel & platform improvements | $1.3 | Alexandria |
Herndon Metro station access improvements (road, bus, bike/ped) | $1.1 | Fairfax Co. |
ART buses | $1 | Arlington |
Leesburg park and ride | $1 | Loudoun |
Loudoun County Transit buses | $0.9 | Loudoun |
Route 7 Tysons-to-Alexandria transit alternatives analysis (phase 2) | $0.8 | Regional |
Falls Church pedestrian access to transit | $0.7 | Falls Church |
Duke Street transit signal priority | $0.7 | Alexandria |
PRTC bus | $0.6 | Prince William |
Alexandria bus shelters & real-time information | $0.5 | Alexandria |
Van Buren pedestrian bridge | $0.3 | Falls Church |
Falls Church bus shelters | $0.2 | Falls Church |
Road projects | ||
Rt 28 - Linton Hall to Fitzwater Dr | $28 | Prince William |
Rt 28 - Dulles to Rt 50 | $20 | Fairfax Co. |
Belmont Ridge Road north of Dulles Greenway | $20 | Loudoun |
Columbia Pike multimodal improvements (roadway, sidewalk, utilities) | $12 | Arlington |
Rt 28 - McLearen to Dulles | $11.1 | Fairfax Co. |
Rt 28 - Loudoun “hot spots” | $6.4 | Loudoun |
Chain Bridge Road widening | $5 | Fairfax City |
Boundary Channel Dr interchange | $4.3 | Arlington |
Rt 1 - Featherstone Rd to Mary’s Way | $3 | Prince William |
Edwards Ferry Rd interchange | $1 | Loudoun |
Herndon Parkway intersection with Van Buren St | $0.5 | Fairfax Co. |
Herndon Parkway intersection with Sterling Rd | $0.5 | Fairfax Co. |