Virginia House Resolution #44

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 44

Offered January 10, 2007

Prefiled December 27, 2006

Memorializing the Governor of Maryland and the Mayor of the District of Columbia to construct Interstate Route 95 from College Park, Maryland, to the southern border of the District of Columbia in the City of Alexandria.

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Patron-- Marshall, R.G.

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Referred to Committee on Rules

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WHEREAS, Interstate Route 95 is the primary North-South Transcontinental Route running from Miami, Florida, to Houlton, Maine, spanning 1,919.74 miles; and

WHEREAS, the gap through the District of Columbia is one of only three in the entire Interstate Route 95 system; and

WHEREAS, the Capital Beltway was designed with the plan that Interstate Route 95 through the District of Columbia would be constructed; and

WHEREAS, today the Capital Beltway is now overloaded with more than 230,000 vehicles a day; and

WHEREAS, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge was also originally designed and built with the plan that Interstate Route 95 through the District of Columbia would be constructed; and

WHEREAS, the evergrowing volume of traffic has caused significant damage to the Bridge and, therefore, caused a massive reconstruction; and

WHEREAS, the Springfield Interchange also is in the process of a major reconstruction due to the extreme traffic volumes that could be alleviated by construction of Interstate Route 95 through the District of Columbia; and

WHEREAS, a direct route in and out would save time for both commuters and travelers by not having to be directed around the District of Columbia; and

WHEREAS, the construction of Interstate Route 95 through the District of Columbia would also add another much needed evacuation route out of the metropolitan area; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Governor of Maryland and the Mayor of the District of Columbia be urged to construct Interstate Route 95 from College Park, Maryland, to the southern border of the District of Columbia in the City of Alexandria.

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House transmit a copy of this resolution to the Governor of Maryland and the Mayor of the District of Columbia so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+ful+HR44

Delegate Robert G. Marshall
(R) - House District 13

This proposal needs to mention how few homes would need to be displaced by the extension of I-395 (I-95) through Washington, D.C.

The number would be less then that displaced by the current projects in Virginia (57 for the Springfield interchange and 300+ for the Woodrow Wilson Bridges).

This resolution could also point out the creative use of cut and cover tunnels in other cities including Charles town, Massachusetts, and East Seattle, Washington that should be employed for crafting a neighborhood and environmentally friendly I-95 through Washington, D.C. via the route with the best combination of serviceability and the maximum use of existing corridors : the B&O/PEPCO route.

This, or another resolution needs to call on D.C., Maryland, and Federal authorities to start a formal study.