The Washington DC region is perennially ranked in the top 10 metro areas on surveys ranking the worst traffic in the nation, and as the Washington DC area’s largest limousine and shuttle provider, we work with various groups seeking to alleviate the problem. CEO Kristina Bouweiri is a board member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, a nonprofit group that seeks to “advance regional transportation improvements of significance in Northern Virginia.â€
So we were on hand to hear what the area’s top 3 transportation experts had to say recently about topics ranging from newly enacted transportation funding in Maryland and Virginia, the impact of Sequestration budget cuts, public-private partnerships as well as current status of key road and rail projects including the Metro’s extension known as the Silver Line Rail to Dulles, streetcars in DC and more.
Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton, acting Maryland Transportation Secretary Darrell Mobley and Washington and Metropolitan Area Transit Authority CEO Richard Sarles were the guest speakers at the Greater Washington Board of Trade’s May 21 Transportation Regional Policy Forum.
The discussion was marked by a collegial tone that started when Mobley thanked his Virginia counterpart for leading the way on landmark transportation legislation, bumping fists with Connaughton in congratulations. The legislation has provides for some major Northern Virginia road projects, including these on a list provided by the alliance:
- I-66/Route 28 Interchange
- I-66/US 15 Interchange
- I-395/Seminary Road HOV Ramp
- I-395 Auxiliary Lane
- Route 1 Widening (Prince William County)
- Route 7/Lexington Drive Overpass (Loudoun County)
- Route 606/Dulles Loop
A public hearing on Virginia’s Six-Year Improvement Plan takes place at 6 p.m. May 29 at the VDOT District Office at 4875 Alliance Drive in Fairfax.
For his part during the forum, Connaughton acknowledged “this is my last year so I can say anything I want,†spurring laughs from the audience.
Below is an excerpt of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority CEO Richard Sarles’s discussion with moderator Jim Dinegar, CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade; for more excerpts from the forum, visit our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/restonlimousine.