COMMONWEALTH TRANSPORTATION BOARD’S MAKEUP WOULD MIRROR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS
By Chelyen Davis
RICHMOND—Sometimes in the General Assembly, regional affiliation trumps party loyalty.
That was the case in the House of Delegates on Friday as lawmakers narrowly voted to advance a bill that would change the makeup of the Commonwealth Transportation Board.
Legislators from urban and high-growth areas—particularly Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads—are in favor of the bill. But those from rural areas are adamantly against it.
The bill would realign the state’s transportation districts to match the current congressional districts.
That would result in less representation for rural areas of the state.
Del. Ed Scott, R–Madison, said that would be a bad choice for rural regions.
“The quality of work of the Commonwealth Transportation Board will suffer if we pass this bill,” Scott said.
Del. Steve Landes, R–Augusta, took issue with claims by the bill’s supporters that it was a bipartisan, bi-regional effort.
“No one came to those of us who represent the Bristol district, the Salem district, the Lynchburg construction district or the Staunton construction district,” he said.
Construction districts and their representatives, Landes said, aren’t intended to represent a population figure.
“The transportation construction districts are very different and have very different needs than the congressional districts,” Landes said. “Just basing this on population takes the purpose of the transportation board totally out of the scenario. It’s to build roads, not to represent people.”
Lawmakers supporting the bill, from urban and suburban areas, disagreed, saying the purpose of building roads is to move commerce and people—and both are most plentiful in the populous areas of the state.
Del. Chris Peace, R–Hanover, said population in Virginia has been shifting to the urban crescent—the swath of the state from Hampton Roads through Richmond and up I-95 to Northern Virginia.
That shift will continue, he said, and the state’s boards and commissions need to be “reflective of the planning needs and the future of this commonwealth.”
Del. Vivian Watts, D–Annandale—a former state secretary of transportation —said the transportation districts were originally set up, in the 1930s, to align with congressional districts at the time.
A realignment, she said, is long overdue.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? Well, I think it is broke when I look at the rush hour being defined in Northern Virginia is seven hours.”
The bill was advanced, barely, on a 51–45 vote. The House will take a final vote on the bill next week.
Chelyen Davis: 804/343-2245
cdavis@freelancestar.com
