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2011 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 292
Requesting the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to evaluate the level of study necessary to identify and advance potential public transportation services to Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County and the Marine Corps Base at Quantico in Prince William and Stafford Counties. Report.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, February 2, 2011
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 22, 2011
 

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 adding a further 5,000 personnel to 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 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, rapid transit, 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 evaluate the level of study necessary to identify and advance potential public transportation services to Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County and the Marine Corps Base at Quantico in Prince William and Stafford Counties. In evaluating the level of study needed, the Department of Rail and Public Transportation shall consult 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 evaluation, upon request.

Following the evaluation, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation may proceed to the recommended level of study for improved public transportation services along the U.S. Route 1 corridor.

The Department of Rail and Public Transportation shall submit to the General Assembly and the Governor an executive summary and report of its progress in meeting the requests of this resolution no later than the first day of the 2012 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary and report shall be submitted for publication as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.