Today Democratic Party lieutenant governor nominee Ralph Northam raised issue with Gov. Bob McDonnell’s wasteful “Road for Nobody” pet project.
Virginia taxpayers are on the hook for $1.4 billion to pay for a parallel highway to U.S. 460, a tolled roadway that stretches from Petersburg and Suffolk and will get very little use, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
McDonnell has been pushing for the new 460 since he was in the House of Delegates. Estimates show that it will only accommodate 8,600 cars a day, significantly less than many of the congested roadways in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
“I am outraged that the governor would waste billions of taxpayer dollars to fund a pet project that would do nothing to alleviate congestion in our Commonwealth,” said State Sen. Northam. “Given the tight constraints on our transportation budget, there is no way to justify spending over $1 billion on a road that will get minimal use. Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads could have used that money more effectively to relieve traffic gridlock and promote economic growth. As lieutenant governor, I will oppose wasteful spending like the Governor’s ‘Road for Nobody’. This billion dollar boondoggle is a slap in the face to commuters sitting in traffic across Virginia.”
Northam supported an audit of the Virginia Department of Transportation to identify waste and inefficiencies [SB201, 2010]. The audit uncovered over $1 billion available for transportation projects that was not being utilized for construction and maintenance. As lieutenant governor, Northam will work to protect and maintain Virginia’s AAA bond rating and oppose actions to undermine it.
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