Breakthrough on Moving Traffic
On June 30, 2008, Fairfax County achieved a gridlock breakthrough when it approved expending 12 million dollars of County commercial and industrial (C&I) tax revenues for transportation.
The first use of these tax revenues will allow Mulligan Road—the connector road to restore the connection between Telegraph Road and Richmond Highway that was lost when Woodlawn Road was closed after 9/11—to be built with four lanes rather than a bottlenecked two-lane road. C&I taxes to generate revenue for transportation projects in Fairfax County were authorized by the General Assembly in its 2007 session. They were implemented by the Board of Supervisors as an 11-cent commercial and industrial real estate tax rate that becomes effective on July 1 and is estimated to raise approximately $52 million a year.
“Building Mulligan Road with four lanes will be more cost effective than building a two-lane road and trying to retrofit an additional two lanes at some later and undetermined date. Had we built this road with only two lanes, it would be obsolete on day one,” commented Lee District Supervisor Jeffrey C. McKay, chair of the Board’s Transportation Committee. “We have an obligation to our taxpayers to use their hard earned dollars wisely and with this new revenue we will be able to complete the four-lane road as a single project with more efficient and reduced design and construction costs as well as less traffic disruption.”
“We cannot afford to wait any longer for this critical road and we have to use all the tools at our disposal to break loose from our traffic congestion. This is an example of the county stepping up to the plate in a big way. As the 2011 BRAC implementation date approaches, moving traffic becomes ever more critical. The Federal government closed this VDOT road abruptly and by the time it is built, citizens will have waited almost 10 years for this road to be re-opened.”
Delegate Mark Sickles (D-43rd) who represents the area commented, “I am very happy that Supervisor McKay was able to secure the critically needed balance from the new commercial property transportation tax. This project will help everyone that lives along Telegraph Road by reducing the amount of traffic headed north to S. Kings Highway and the Harrison Road/Lockheed connection to Richmond Highway."
Funding for Mulligan Road is available through a variety of sources including $8 million in federal earmark funds and $34.8 million in federal Defense Access Road funds, as well as $12.1 million in C&I revenue (to fund the additional 2 lanes). The total cost of the road project is $54.9 million.