Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Editorial: A road plan remains elusive
Legislative gridlock might lead to regional solutions that would doom many of Virginia's roads.
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
Virginians, particularly in this part of the state, might as well get used to traffic delays. Highways will grow more crowded, interchanges will go unbuilt, and new transportation alternatives will go unfunded. An embarrassing lack of leadership on all sides leaves little hope that the partisan and transportation gridlock that plague the commonwealth will end soon.
Things today are no better than they were three years ago. Lawmakers have only dithered and passed unconstitutional transportation plans.
Gov. Tim Kaine wants to try to find a solution this summer and will call lawmakers back for another transportation special session. If they fail, the governor can at least score some political points for Democrats.
"We're either going to solve this problem or Virginians are going to know who stood in the way of a solution," he told the Associated Press. We suppose that counts as a silver lining in his eyes.
Democrats have hardly demonstrated statesmanship. Different party factions promote different tax increases. It is hard to hold a serious debate when the party that controls the Senate and the governor's mansion cannot come together.
Republicans rightly criticize that lack of leadership, though the words coming from their mouths are disingenuous. The lack of a single Democratic plan is not the real hang-up for Republicans. Virginia's House GOP just hates taxes, all taxes, and would not support any of the ones Democrats propose.
Meanwhile neither party seriously talks about the fundamental changes necessary in an era of rapidly rising petroleum and construction costs. Mass transit and development rules that encourage mixed-use and denser communities remain all but unspoken.
Regional fragmentation
No, Virginians should not get their hopes up. Instead, they should brace for the worst-case scenario.
Ideally, the people of the commonwealth would share the burden of funding transportation. The practical reality, though, is that a solution to the current mess will involve local funding. Some leaders, however, would take it too far.
Lawmakers from Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads are holding a meeting next month to figure out how to fund roads in their areas. It is hard to blame them. Richmond has not been helpful.
If they fund regional infrastructure on their own, the rest of the state will face serious shortfalls, and the whole system could crumble. The rest of Virginia cannot afford to pay for the vast stretches of highway through rural areas.
If Interstate 81 fails in Southwest Virginia, it would have far-reaching effects. Forget many of the benefits of an intermodal yard. Forget moving goods from points south and west to Washington, the coastal ports and beyond.
Virginia's highways and byways stand or fall together. Unless lawmakers realize that and take advantage of the special session this summer, all motorists will get is more political posturing and more congestion.
