Kaine promises transit proposal

Media General News Service
Published: April 30, 2008

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will roll out a legislative proposal in the next 10 days to fix the state’s $1 billion transportation funding gap.

“We need to respond to congestion in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, and to statewide fill up this maintenance deficit that we have, which is severely constricting our ability to do public transit and new road capacity,“ Kaine said yesterday, speaking on his monthly radio show on Washington’s WTOP.

Kaine said he will present the proposal when he announces the date for a special session of the state legislature on transportation, which is expected to take place toward the end of June.

Kaine said a gasoline tax increase “is certainly being kicked around.“

“All issues are on the table,“ the governor said.

In February, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the taxing power of the unelected regional transportation authorities the legislature created last year for Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. That ruling leaves unfunded an estimated $550 million in transportation projects for those two regions, in addition to roughly $450 million required just to maintain the roads and highways.

Kaine said his plan will likely have several components and not rely on simply one element to raise funds.