Mo' Money from Washington

A commonly voiced "solution" for Virginia's transportation woes is, if you live in Northern Virginia, to get more money from "Richmond," or, if you live anywhere in Virginia, to get more money from "Washington." It's a message that Virginia's congressional delegation has heeded. Largely overlooked in the press coverage of the latest federal transportation bill, Virginia actually will get a higher share of federal transportation dollars than in past years.

U.S. Senators John Warner and George Allen noted the following in a recent press release:

Known as a “donor state” because of its history of contributing more than it receives in federal highway funds, Virginia has received a 90.5% return on its contributions of federal gas tax dollars over the past six years. The bill passed by the Conference tonight will increase that rate of return annually, ultimately to 92% in FY 2008 and 2009.

In 1998, the last time Congress addressed the funding levels, the Virginia delegation worked to increase Virginia’s return from 79% to the current level of 90.5%.

In a $1 billion-a-year annual allocation, the increase from 90.5% to 92% yields an extra $15 million or so a year. Compared to the $108 billion revenue shortfall forecast in the VTrans2025 study over the next 20 years, the extra federal money is chump change. Sure, it beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but it falls far short of what our Business As Usual transportation strategy calls for. Squeezing more money out of Uncle Sam won't be easy for an affluent state like Virginia. Unless we're willing to pony up an extra $4 billion to $5 billion a year in taxes, we have no choice but to radically rethink our transportation strategy.