Bill Text: VA HJR647 | 2019 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Rail and Public Transportation, Department of; improved transportation services, report.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-05 - Left in Rules [HJR647 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-HJR647-Prefiled.html
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 the growth in residential population and employment in the U.S. Route 1 corridor 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 the Huntington Metro Station to the Woodbridge VRE; and
WHEREAS, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors endorsed the
recommendations of the Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives
Analysis in March 2015 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 TransAction 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 the 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; 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 House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Rail and Public Transportation be requested to identify and recommend potential public transportation services from the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Prince William and Stafford Counties and to study the feasibility of extending the Blue Line and other multimodal options such as bus rapid transit along Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1.
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, 2019, and for the second year by November 30, 2020, 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.