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Washington, D.C., July 23rd – Congressman Jim Moran, Virginia Democrat and senior member of the House Appropriations Committee announced the following projects were included for Northern Virginia in the FY’10 Transportation Appropriations bill. The legislation is expected to pass the House later this afternoon.
“The tragic crash on Metro’s Red Line was a wake up call that our region’s transportation infrastructure is aging and in need of repair,” said Moran. “With this legislation we are making $150 million available to fund vital safety improvements to the system. Also included in this legislation is another down payment on rail to Dulles, bringing the total we’ve earmarked to $366 million.”
Moran sponsored projects include:
- $150 million for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to fund safety improvements. Rep. Moran helped lead this effort, sending a letter to the Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee requesting these funds which was signed by most of the region’s delegation. The funds are urgently needed to finance major capital improvements to Metro. Created in 1967, WMATA serves the federal workforce (50 percent of the stations are at federal facilities, 40 percent of the ridership are federal employees) and visitors to the nation’s capital. WMATA also provides major transportation services during inaugural and special events, parades and emergency evacuation contingencies.
- $85 million for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for Phase I construction of the 23.1 mile extension of the Metrorail system from East Falls Church Metro Station to Wiehle Avenue in Reston. Construction includes the development of five new rail stations. This funding brings the total earmarked for the project to $366.9 million.
- $350,000 for bus rapid transit service along Route 7 Corridor in Northern Virginia. The federal funds would be used to conduct a study on the feasibility of bus rapid transit service along the Route 7 Corridor connecting the King Street Metro Station in Alexandria with the future Columbia Pike light rail service, East and West Falls Church Metro stations and the future Metro stations in Tysons Corner.
- $500,000 for Fairfax County’s Richmond Express (REX) bus service which transports passengers along the Richmond Highway (U.S. Route 1) Corridor in South Fairfax. The funding would support construction of several major and minor transit centers along the County’s most heavily trafficked. corridor. Total amount Moran has funded for this project: $13.3 million.
- $1 million for the Potomac Yard High Capacity Transit project. The federal funds would be used to purchase buses and prepare a dedicated right-of-way used specifically for those buses along the Route 1 Corridor (Jefferson Davis Highway) between Pentagon City, Arlington and the Braddock Road Metrorail Station in Alexandria. Total amount Moran has funded for this project: $9.4 million.
- $250,000 for the Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center to construct a multi-use trail that would provide a safe walking path between Wolf Trap’s “Barns” facility and the Filene Center facility. Currently these two performance centers are separated by a narrow, highly trafficked road that connects to the Dulles Toll Road and does not have enough room for sidewalks. Construction of the multi-use trail would connect with several other local recreational trails, linking up existing trail networks currently separated by the Toll Rd. Total amount Moran has funded for this project: $2.189 million.
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