Bill Text: VA SJR84 | 2016 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Public transportation services; DRPT to evaluate study necessary to identify, etc.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-11 - Continued to 2017 in Rules by voice vote [SJR84 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2016-SJR84-Prefiled.html
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16102006D WHEREAS, the U.S. Route 1 corridor in Northern Virginia is highly congested and in need of major redevelopment and supports limited employment opportunities relative to the rest of Northern Virginia except for two large and vital military installations that provide increasing employment opportunities to the region; and WHEREAS, the implementation of the Base Realignment and Closure proposal and the addition of over 25,000 additional military and civilian personnel at Fort Belvoir and at Marine Corps Base Quantico are expected to continue to grow in residential population and employment along with the overall growth of the Northern Virginia region, which guarantees increased future congestion; and WHEREAS, pursuant to House Joint Resolution 217 (1998), the Department of Transportation conducted the Route 1 Centerline Design Study published in November 2009, which recommended an appropriate centerline design from the Occoquan River to Fredericksburg but failed to recommend or incorporate any transit solutions for the U.S. Route 1 corridor; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 292 (2011), the Department of Rail and Public Transportation completed the Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analysis in January 2015 and recommended road design and a series of multimodal transportation improvements between the Huntington Metro Station and the Woodbridge Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Station, including a two-stop extension of the Yellow Line to Hybla Valley and a median-dedicated bus rapid transit system from Huntington Metro Station to the Woodbridge VRE; and WHEREAS, in March 2015 the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors endorsed the recommendations of the Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analysis and has started the process of completing comprehensive plan amendments, the Department of Transportation has started design work, and over $16 million has been appropriated for environmental studies to lay the groundwork for a bus rapid transit system to Woodbridge and a Yellow Line extension by Hybla Valley; and WHEREAS, the Blue Line of the Washington Metro has 27 stations from Prince George's County, Maryland, to Fairfax County, Virginia, but ends at its Franconia-Springfield station, and current plans to attempt to alleviate congestion at Rosslyn Station and prepare the tracks to accommodate the Silver Line have resulted in fewer Blue Line trains, meaning increased wait times for Blue Line customers on a metro line that is in need of further development; and WHEREAS, in addition to continued growth at military bases, major development is planned for the Interstate 95 corridor, including the construction of the Museum of the U.S. Army, the possible relocation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, thousands of new transit-oriented development units in Woodbridge, 4,000 new homes in Potomac Shores in Dumfries, and the possible relocation of professional sports franchises; and WHEREAS, the extension of the Blue Line from Springfield in Fairfax County to Potomac Mills in Prince William County is listed as a project on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority's Transact 2040 Plan at the request of Fairfax County, and on October 7, 2015, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors endorsed studying the feasibility of extending the Blue Line from Franconia-Springfield to Prince William County; and WHEREAS, the study and development of highway, bus rapid transit, and other transit options that encourage an efficient and transit-oriented development of the region and the corridor would empower the economic development of disadvantaged communities in the Northern Virginia region, assist localities in their efforts to bring commuter-friendly options to the U.S. Route 1 corridor, and provide clarity on the best mode of transit for eastern Prince William County; and WHEREAS, commuters in eastern Prince William County and northern Stafford County have the worst commutes in the entire Commonwealth, and with ever increasing population growth the need for transit and multimodal options continues to grow and a multi-jurisdictional approach is required to bring clarity about the appropriate modes of transit, timeframes, and funding necessary to achieve efficient solutions for Virginia taxpayers; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Department of Rail and Public Transportation be requested to evaluate the level of study necessary to identify and advance potential public transportation services from the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Prince William and Stafford Counties, including the feasibility of extending the Blue Line and other multimodal options such as bus rapid transit along Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1, and to study accordingly. Following the evaluation, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation shall proceed to the recommended level of study for improved public transportation services along the U.S. Route 1 corridor. In conducting its evaluation and study, the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (the Department) shall consult with Fort Belvoir, Marine Corps Base Quantico, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, the Virginia Railway Express, Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford Counties, and affected federal agencies. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department for this study, upon request. The Department of Rail and Public Transportation shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2016, and for the second year by November 30, 2017, and the Department shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document for each year. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website. |
