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“We’re basically now giving toll payers something they were not getting before,” said J. Kenneth Klinge, a former Commonwealth Transportation Board member from Northern Virginia, who is advising the group. “The biggest complaint those paying the tolls had was, “What are we getting from this? It all goes to rail.’”
As part of the initial upfront cash investment, the group is proposing to make 19 improvements along the toll road within the next five years. The list includes:
• Building a new flyover ramp from the outer loop of the Capital Beltway linking directly to the airport access lanes, saving motorists from having to weave over several lanes of traffic.
• Building a new righthand loop to connect southbound Elden Street in Herndon to the eastbound toll road, eliminating a left-hand turn that routinely ties up traffic.
The group is also proposing to build 14 additional improvements as part of the phase two toll increase for rail. Those improvements would target side roads making it easier to get to and from the toll road.
Virginia has increasingly looked toward the private sector to help jump-start new transportation projects as its road and transit budgets have stalled, but this marks the first such proposal to take over an existing roadway, a concept that is beginning to catch on across the nation.
House of Delegates Speaker William Howell (R-Stafford) has cited similar examples in Chicago and Texas as models for Virginia to foHow.
Several regional elected officials, who were briefed on the toll road proposal but sworn to secrecy until it was made public this week, said it is a promising idea.
The Virginia Department of Transportation will hold off judgment on the proposal while it allows any other interested companies to file a competing bid. None have been filed yet, but several transportation insiders expect a competitor will come forth.
Once that period is up, highway officials will review the proposal, or proposals, before recommending a more detailed analysis to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. That decision could come by the end of the year.
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