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1997 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 572
Requesting the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to study and develop a comprehensive plan for rail and public transit in Northern Virginia.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 20, 1997
Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 1997

WHEREAS, the continued economic vitality of Northern Virginia is dependent upon an integrated transportation network, including motor vehicle, rail, bus, and air travel facilities; and

WHEREAS, long-term highway planners in Northern Virginia have recognized the need for both radial and circumferential highway facilities in order to meet the transportation and economic development needs of the region; and

WHEREAS, long-term rail and public transit planners in Northern Virginia have only recently recognized the need for both radial and circumferential rail facilities in order to efficiently serve the region and the growing employment centers throughout the region; and

WHEREAS, various Major Investment Studies conducted in Northern Virginia have examined the need for specific highway and transit improvements in the Dulles, I-66, Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and I-495 corridors; and

WHEREAS, none of these studies has considered the need for a region-wide system of rail and public transit, including both radial and circumferential rail facilities; and

WHEREAS, local governments, transportation commissions, the business community, and the Commonwealth and its citizens are all interested in the development of a long-term, comprehensive plan for rail and public transit in Northern Virginia, including both radial and circumferential rail facilities; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Rail and Public Transportation be requested to study and develop a comprehensive plan for rail and public transit in Northern Virginia. The study shall, among other things, identify and develop a plan to meet the long-term rail and public transit needs of the area, including both radial and circumferential rail facilities.

The Department shall be guided by a policy advisory committee consisting of Northern Virginia state and locally elected officials and a technical advisory committee consisting of representatives of the Virginia Department of Transportation, local governments, transit properties, transportation commissions, and other appropriate entities.

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 work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 1999 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.