Political Quotes

“I rise to address a problem that threatens to overwhelm the Nation's Capital and surrounding jurisdictions: traffic. As our colleagues know, driving in the greater Washington area can raise your blood pressure and test your patience. Our regional traffic jam, which is rated as second only to Los Angeles, will get worse, not better, over the next few decades if we fail to act. Projections indicate that the number of people and jobs in this area will grow by about 50 percent over the next two decades and the number of vehicle miles traveled will grow by nearly 75 percent. Unfortunately, transportation funding will fall short of our needs by $500 million each year, and this shortfall will be even larger if we don't get the higher funding levels agreed to in ISTEA II. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration predicts that highway funding for the Nation as a whole in 1999 will be $12 billion less than we need just to maintain our current system, and, again, that is assuming the higher funding we have already agreed to in ISTEA II. Unfortunately, State funding in Virginia will not be able to make up this shortfall. A recent report by the Virginia Department of Transportation shows that the spending shortfall in Virginia alone will be $1.74 billion in 1999, and this shortfall is projected to get worse, rising to $2.44 billion in the year 2009. This paints a very grim picture for the future when our present situation is already intolerable.”