Transportation

My background, record and philosophy

If you followed my career as your local news reporter at the Gainesville Times from 2006-2015, you know I often took deep dives into transportation policy — and this policy platform is no different.

And if you’ve heard me speak as your delegate, you’ve probably heard me talk about it. Simply put, traffic congestion hurts my constituents’ quality of life and I’m determined to help fix it. Every minute sitting in traffic means one less you can spend with your family and community.

I’m proud of the significant progress we’ve made since 2017. But the work isn’t done — in fact, as we try to combat the climate crisis and make our streets safer for everyone, we need to focus even more intently on how we address transportation that truly links Broad Run, Haymarket, Gainesville, Catharpin, Bristow, Manassas and Manassas Park together.

My transportation platform is based on three concepts: quicker, safer and greener commuters. That involves fixing existing problems on our existing roads rather than creating new problems with new roads (like the Bi-County Parkway, which I staunchly oppose). That also means finding multi-modal options for pedestrians and bicyclists to have quicker and safer commutes and increasing mass transit in our area — like bus and rail service — so long-distance commuters have an alternative to driving in the first place. Reducing idling and taking more vehicles off the road also both cut emissions, which is better for the environment as we fight climate change caused by people.

COVID-19 has also necessarily transformed the workplace, which is why I’ve voted for dramatically expanding broadband so more people can work from home and not add to traffic congestion. I also voted for HB 768 during my first year in office so I could fulfill my promise to bring mass transit to Haymarket and northern Gainesville, which we got done by launching the first regional OmniRide commuter bus to link Heathcote Boulevard to five bus stops near Metro stations each workday in Arlington County.

I also voted for HB 1414 in 2020, the largest transportation funding bill since 1986. Part of this omnibus bill set up the administrative infrastructure we needed to execute the $3.7 billion CSX rail deal, which will allow us to have future night and weekend Virginia Railway Express (VRE) service along the Manassas Line.

Fixing Route 28

Now, of course, if you followed my three previous campaigns to represent and serve the 13th District of the Virginia House of Delegates, you probably saw my "Fix Route 28 Now!" yard sign slogan transform into “Fixing Route 28 Now!”

That’s because we’re finally doing something to actually fix Route 28, in greater Prince William and Fairfax County alike.

First, I’m thrilled that the traffic lights are finally removed from the Route 28 / Interstate 66 interchange. In fact, there are now no more traffic lights north of U.S. 29, so for my constituents in Haymarket, Gainesville and northern Manassas who hop on I-66 and turn north on Route 28, they won’t hit a single traffic light after they turn on I-66 from here to Dulles International Airport, let alone their jobs in Chantilly, Reston, Herndon and Sterling.

Second, as a now-former member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, I voted for the third and final Standard Project Agreement needed to authorize the multimodal, six-lane construction that’s underway right now in Centreville and is due to wrap up by the end of 2023.

Third, here in the district, I’ve worked directly with the City of Manassas Park and Prince William County officials to secure the funds needed to implement the results of my completed Route 28 STARS Study so we can install a series of innovative intersection designs called R-CUTS (restricted-crossing U-turns), a raised median and 1.75-miles of contiguous sidewalk between Manassas Park and Yorkshire. Right now, we are pursuing four funding streams at the federal, state and regional levels to secure the $58 million we need to bring it to fruition. We’ve done the legislative work we need to do to fix Route 28 in Yorkshire and Manassas Park — now we just need to secure the money to pay for it. Doing so is my No. 1 priority and responsibility to deliver on behalf of the tens of thousands of commuters who need this done.

This plan has buy-in from the community at large from an open, transparent process that involved two public hearings at the Manassas Park Community Center and Cougar ES and more than 1,300 completed surveys in which we asked commuters, residents and business workers and owners alike what they want to see a redesigned Route 28 look like here at home.

Following my constituents’ requests, we’ve already made changes to the corridor based on the STARS Study, which is why there are now flashing yellow lights at left-turn arrows at Orchard Bridge Drive and Yorkshire Lane in order to reduce the traffic signal phases from four to two. We’ve also made safety improvements along Route 28 at the Maplewood Drive and Leland Road intersections, and recently repaved the entire corridor along with the residential neighborhoods east and west of the road.

Fixing Rollins Ford Road

While fixing Route 28 is absolutely vital for my constituents in Manassas and Manassas Park, we have a major safety issue along Rollins Ford Road near the Linton Hall corridor. We’ve seen a fatal traffic crash at the intersection of Rollins Ford and Estate Manor Drive and other crashes involving a school bus (no one was hurt) and a dump truck, along with many, many other collisions and near misses that have caused people from Bristow and Gainesville to avoid even wanting to walk across the road, let alone let their children cross it.

That’s why I’ve worked with local and state officials on the Rollins Ford Road Corridor Study. We held three public hearings in/near the community and asked the residents what they wanted to see a redesigned Rollins Ford Road look like to slow down traffic and make it safer to cross the street.

The community overwhelmingly supported the idea of installing three modern roundabouts along Rollins Ford Road at Braided Stream Drive, Estate Manor Drive, and Song Sparrow Drive/Yellow Hammer Drive. At a cost of about $1.5 million each, securing the $4.5 million to install them is my top priority for the Linton Hall community at large as they will prevent more people from being hurt or killed on the roadway.

I put in a budget amendment for this in 2020 just before the pandemic hit and, in 2022, I also introduced legislation to create a Transportation Safety Fund. That bill would dedicate 10% of surplus state funds every budget cycle (that aren’t already constitutionally obligated to go toward the state’s reserves and an environmental program) to smaller, local projects that don’t score high for regional congestion relief but save lives and improve quality of life. This way, they can receive the adequate funding they need without having to compete against regional behemoths like Route 28 and Metro.

More priorities

As mentioned above, my top priorities for transportation improvements in our community are securing the funding we need to implement the recommendations of the completed Route 28 STARS and Rollins Ford Road Corridor Study so we can use innovative intersection designs to keep commuters and pedestrians safe.

In Haymarket, we also need to fix U.S. 15 to prevent school buses and commuters from having to compete with the Norfolk Southern freight line near the town’s boundaries and to prevent more deaths near Graduation Drive / Dominion Valley Road by Battlefield High School. That includes funding a long-standing flyover proposal for traffic to safely go over the railway track and an elevated pedestrian walkway near the high school.

In the northern part of Manassas, we need to implement the plan for a pedestrian walkway to connect Sudley Road all the way to Northern Virginia Community College.

Next, I’m dedicated to working with our transit and transportation agencies to expand VRE service on the Manassas line so we bring night and weekend lines to fruition.

My newest proposal is working with our commuter bus agencies and local governments in Prince William County, the City of Manassas, the City of Manassas Park, Fairfax County and Loudoun County to finally bring a commuter bus service that links western Prince William / greater Manassas to Dulles International Airport. While thousands of my constituents do commute inside the Beltway each day, thousands more also take Route 28 through Centreville, Chantilly, Reston, Herndon, Dulles and Sterling. It’s time for our bus lines to reflect that reality as well as give my constituents an alternative to having to park at Dulles or have someone drop them off there in order to catch a flight. If Loudoun, Fairfax and Arlington residents can ride the Silver Line to Dulles, then greater Prince William should at least be able to get a clean, safe, reliable and affordable (as close to no fare as possible) bus to Dulles.