News

McDonnell transportation plan advances; Herring announces support

February 2, 2011

via The Loudoun Times-Mirror

Governor Bob McDonnell’s transportation package, which calls for accelerating $1.8 billion in transportation bonds approved in 2007 and the issuance of an additional $1.1 billion in bonds backed by anticipated federal revenue, cleared the Senate Finance Committee Feb. 1 in Richmond, clearing a major legislative hurdle as it winds its way through the General Assembly this session.

The nearly $3 billion will be spent on over 900 transportation infrastructure projects across the Commonwealth over the next three years. The proposal now heads to the floor of the Senate for a vote. The House version of the bill is being considered this week in committee.

At the same time, state Senator Mark Herring (D-eastern Loudoun) on Feb. 2 announced his support for Governor McDonnell’s transportation plan.

“As the Governor has repeatedly acknowledged, this plan is a first step in addressing Virginia’s long-term transportation infrastructure needs,” Herring stated. “All of the experts, including the Governor himself, are in agreement: Virginia needs over $1 billion dollars per year to adequately meet those needs. While I do have concerns about relying on borrowed money, Virginia does have significant short term needs that these funds can immediately address.”

Herring’s support for the Governor’s roads plan is significant for several reasons.

First, it allows the Governor to tout even more bipartisan support for his plan as he pushes it through a divided state legislature. Second, it gives the Governor another much-needed vote in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats; Herring’s support increases its chances for adoption. Third, Herring has been advocating for two significant road projects that would benefit Loudoun, and could be funded if McDonnell’s plan is adopted and signed into law.

The projects are the Rt. 7/Belmont Ridge Road interchange and the Sycolin Road and Leesburg Bypass interchange.

Up until recently, Herring had been critical of many aspects of the Governor’s plan.

He was not included in the handful of state Democrats who announced their support for the roads proposal when it was introduced last week. At that time, five Democrats were among the 17 senators sponsoring the Senate version of McDonnell’s transportation funding proposal.

In announcing his support for a Republican plan, Herring may not only be keeping an eye on the purse strings for local road projects that are desperately needed in Loudoun, but also on the ballot box in November. Herring is up for re-election, and he may not only face a spirited contest on the GOP side, but also will be facing a redrawn district following the decennial redistricting process, where electoral boundaries could be significantly redrawn across the county.

Lending his support to a GOP plan gives Herring bipartisan bona fides in a ‘purple’ county, and may also allow him to stamp his name onto a roads plan that infuses millions of dollars into local projects.

In addition, Herring announced Feb. 2 that his proposal to amend the state’s highway revenue sharing program with localities to make more state matching funds available to localities that wish to undertake their own road construction projects, was combined with McDonnell’s tranportation proposal, making Herring a chief co-patron of the legislation.

“Virginians have been spending too much of their time stuck in traffic, away from their families, and away from their jobs,” Herring stated. “This means lost productivity for our businesses and a lower quality of life for our citizens,” Herring stated. “It is my hope that with the passage of this legislation, we will take a meaningful step forward that will improve the lives of the residents of our Commonwealth.”