A Virginia elected official said Maryland leaders don’t want traffic on the Capital Beltway to get better, and the reason, he said, is jobs.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay was referring to traffic near the Wilson Bridge and the Legion Bridge.
"Frankly, I think Maryland's position is different,” he said. “They’re not going to say this publicly, but I think they believe that if people can't get across the two bridges, they'll stop coming to Virginia to work. And ultimately, they'll take jobs in Maryland, and that will help their economic development. To me that is the most absurd economic development vision of all time."
McKay made the comments during a recent panel discussion with the Dulles Area Transportation Association.
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"I think they like the fact that the harder it is to come across the bridge into Virginia to work, the more likelihood it is that their residents will stop doing that, and that magically, the jobs will move to Maryland,” he said.
Recent statistics show traffic in the D.C. area has gotten worse, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
There has been heated debate about whether to extend express toll lanes through Alexandria, across the Wilson Bridge and into Maryland. There’s also talk about adding express lanes to the Legion Bridge and the Beltway in Montgomery County, Maryland. Currently, Maryland has no plans to carry out those projects.
Transportation
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McKay has suggested Virginia should lend Maryland money for those bridge projects.
“We appreciate the partnership with our colleagues in Virginia and will continue to work with VDOT, Fairfax County and stakeholders in Maryland on the path forward,” the Maryland Department of Transportation told News4 in a statement.
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