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2011 SESSION

11101499D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 292
Offered January 12, 2011
Prefiled December 27, 2010
Requesting the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to conduct a study for improved public transportation services to Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County and the Marine Corps Base at Quantico in Prince William and Stafford Counties. Report.
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Patrons-- Puller; Delegates: Sickles and Torian
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, the U.S. Route 1 corridor in Northern Virginia, home to several large and vital military installations and numerous important commercial operations and major employment centers, is highly congested; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Transportation has studied the U.S. Route 1 corridor for the purpose of increasing its vehicular capacity and developing a bus rapid transit service; and

WHEREAS, current serious levels of congestion in the U.S. Route 1 corridor will shortly be further exacerbated when the recommendations of the 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) are fully implemented; and

WHEREAS, implementation of the BRAC recommendations is adding 12,000 personnel to the U.S. Army garrison at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County and add a further 5,000 personnel at the U.S. Marine Corps Base at Quantico in Prince William and Stafford Counties; and

WHEREAS, transit alternatives are a priority for the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the region’s long-term vision that includes transit-oriented economic development; and

WHEREAS, rapid transit can serve as a cost-effective and successful means of increasing travel capacity in this congested corridor; and

WHEREAS, it is important to maintain future options in the U.S. Route 1 corridor; and

WHEREAS, the study and development of a phased approach to highway, bus, bus rapid transit, light rail, and other transit options that encourages compact, transit-oriented development throughout the corridor would assist the Counties of Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford in their efforts to bring about pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use revitalization of the U.S. Route 1 corridor; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Department of Rail and Public Transportation be requested to conduct a study for improved public transportation services to Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County and the Marine Corps Base at Quantico in Prince William and Stafford Counties. The Department of Rail and Public Transportation shall conduct the study in consultation with Fort Belvoir, the Marine Corps Base at Quantico, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, the Virginia Railway Express, the Counties of Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford and affected federal agencies.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Rail and Public Transportation for this study, upon request.

The Department of Rail and Public Transportation shall complete its study by November 30, 2012, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2013 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.