Bolling Joins McDonnell to Announce Comprehensive Statewide Transportation Plan

Lieutenant Governor Bolling's Prepared Remarks Below

Earlier today overlooking Interstate 66 in Arlington, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling joined Republican gubernatorial nominee and former Attorney General Bob McDonnell to announce a comprehensive plan to build a transportation system for the 21st century. McDonnell and Bolling were also joined by Congressman Frank Wolf and former Congressman Tom Davis. 

The text of the Lieutenant Governor's remarks as prepared is below.

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Thank you Bob, and good morning everyone.

It is a pleasure for me to be here this morning with my friend and running mate, Bob McDonnell; Congressman Frank Wolf; and former Congressman, Tom Davis, to announce our plan end gridlock, create jobs and get traffic moving again in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads and address transportation challenges in other parts of our state.

Transportation is an issue that impacts every part of Virginia, but in two parts of Virginia, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, this is an issue of critical importance.

Traffic clogged highways not only impact the quality of life we enjoy as Virginians, but they also impact our economic viability.  We have to move forward with efforts to build a transportation system for the 21st century in order to protect the quality of life and economic viability that our state has become known for.

In recent weeks, Bob and I have announced a series of policy initiatives that are designed to get Virginia's economy moving again and create the jobs Virginians need to protect their financial security.

But just like the need to generate tax savings for families and businesses, reduce regulatory burdens, position Virginia as the nation's energy leader, improve the educational opportunities we provide to our children, and invest in proven economic development strategies; building a transportation system for the 21st century is an important part of our Jobs For Virginians program.

For the past eight years we have tried and failed to pass a meaningful transportation plan in Virginia.  We have failed because we have spent our time arguing about the one thing that divides us, higher taxes; instead of focusing on the many things that should unite us.

Today, we unveil a comprehensive transportation program that presents a realistic and workable framework to solve our transportation challenges, and this is a plan that should receive enthusiastic support from Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike.

This plan emphasizes high priority projects in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads and other parts of Virginia.

This plan will eliminate state and federal regulatory impediments to the timely completion of highway projects, improve efficiencies and modernize the Department of Transportation, and make certain that we are spending our transportation dollars wisely.

This plan will restore trust to the Transportation Trust Fund by preventing the use of transportation dollars to pay for other government programs.

This plan will implement creative transportation technologies to relieve congestion on our roadways.

And this plan will secure the money we need to build new roads, bridges, mass transit and high speed rail projects; and increase the money we have available to maintain an aging transportation infrastructure.

Now, I'd like to think that our opponents in this campaign will rally around this plan, but I suspect they'll find something to complain about, just like they always do.  But my friends, there is nothing in this plan to complain about.  This plan should have widespread and bipartisan support. 

And on the critical issue of funding, this plan offers up no less than a dozen specific proposals by which we can secure additional funding for transportation, and if these proposals are implemented we will generate hundreds of millions of dollars of new funding for transportation, without raising taxes.

For eight long years we have talked about building a transportation system for the 21st century, but the truth is that we have accomplished very little, and I might add, what we have accomplished has come about primarily because of the leadership of Bob McDonnell, Frank Wolf and Tom Davis.

Well, the time for talk is over and the time for action is at hand and Bob McDonnell and I will provide the leadership that is necessary to actually get something done and restore the confidence of the people of Virginia that their government is capable of solving a serious challenge like this one.

To put it bluntly, it's time we stopped talking about building a transportation system for the 21st and actually start building a transportation system for the 21st century.  This plan will provide the framework through which that can be accomplished.

This is the type of forward looking, consensus building leadership the people of Virginia are looking for, and this is the type of leadership Bob McDonnell and I will provide if the people of Virginia will give us their trust, their confidence, their support, and their vote on November 3rd.

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