Politics & Government

Connolly Calls For Metro to Prince William County Summit

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly on Monday is having a Metrorail Summit to start the discussion about extending rail to Prince William County. Is it feasible? Where and when is the meeting? Harbour View, 13200 Marina Way, Woodbridge, VA 22191, at 6:30 p.m.

Can the federal and state government find a way to bring Metrorail to Prince William County? And do the residents want it?

Those are questions that U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly wants to address Monday at his Metrorail Summit at Harbour View with a panel of speakers.

 Speakers on the panel are:

Find out what's happening in Woodbridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  •  Sen. Linda "Toddy" Puller – 36th District 
  • Sen. George Barker – 39th District
  • Del. Luke Torian – 52nd District
  • Supervisor John D. Jenkins – PWBOCS, Neabsco District
  • Supervisor Frank J. Principi – PWBOCS, Woodbridge District
  • Mayor Earnie Porta – Town of Occoquan
  • Richard Taube – Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Executive Director
  • John McClain - George Mason University, Center for Regional Analysis
  • David Robertson – Metropolitan Washington Council of Government, Executive Director

There will be a time slot when people at the event can ask questions.

“Metrorail to Prince William County is one transit option we should look at as a solution to relieve congestion at a reasonable cost to consumers,” Connolly said in a press release.  “We are not saying that Metro should be extended, but it is important that we study its feasibility.” 

Find out what's happening in Woodbridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Connolly has filed a bill that requests federal funding to study the feasibility of extending rail to Prince William County, but it was sent to the subcommittee on highways and transit. This is not the first time someone has pushed the idea of extending rail to Prince William County. During a debate this month in Lake Ridge, Esteban Garces, a Democrat, made the extension of rail the chief topic of his campaign. His opponent, Mark Dudenhefer, a Republican who is chairman of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, said he isn't against the idea of having rail in Prince William County, but he fears the multi-billion dollar price tag and how that much money could be generated for this project.

even went as far asking asking the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to include rail stations in Fort Belvoir and Woodbridge when it updated the Metro map. He was joined by Del. Scott Surovell and Sen. Puller in urging MWAA to conceptualize the extension of the Yellow Line to Fort Belvoir and the Blue Line to Woodbridge.

Puller has been an advocate of revitializing the Rt. 1 corridor and she believes bringing rail to Woodbridge and Dale City would boost activity there, while unclogging Interstate 95. 

The burgeoning county topped 400,000 residents this past Census and remains as one of the fastest-growing in the country. Most of the county's residents commute to work in D.C. or Maryland.

Supervisor Principi, who represents the Woodbridge District, will follow this event with a conference with Rail-Volution from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Osprey's Landing on Belmont Bay Drive.

Where and when is the meeting? Harbour View, 13200 Marina Way, Woodbridge, VA 22191, at 6:30 p.m.

 

Greater, Greater Washington – Is a Metro extension to Woodbridge a good idea? -

 



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