Dulles Greenway Bill Passes Senate Transportation Committee

Leesburg VA

28 January, 2021

5:22 PM

Description

LEESBURG, VA — Two days after a legislative bill designed to hold the owners of the Dulles Greenway accountable passed through a committee in the Virginia House of Delegates, a similar piece of legislation did the same in the Senate in Richmond. Senate Bill 1259, which was introduced by Sen. John Bell, passed through the House Transportation Committee by a 12-3 vote on Thursday. The bill would provide more oversight on the Toll Road Investor Limited Partnership II's ability to increase the price of tolls on the Greenway, which is the only privately owned highway in the state. The legislation emphasizes that any proposed toll rates must be reasonable, not materially discourage use of the roadway, and provide the operator no more than a reasonable return. Any toll rate requests that fail to satisfy these criteria would be deemed against the public interest and would not be approved by the State Corporation Commission, according to a news release. The legislation prevents the Greenway owners from using the toll road as a financial instrument by requiring approval from the SCC on any refinancing of debt obligations, the release said. The legislation reached a bipartisan agreement and has the support of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and the Loudoun Delegation, and will now advance to the Senate floor, the release said. "This is a big win today for Loudoun County and Northern Virginia commuters. Passing this legislation would not have been possible without the bipartisan support of the Loudoun Delegation and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors," Bell said in a prepared statement following the vote. "We have been working on this issue for a long time, and I'm proud that we were able to come together on this important issue facing Northern Virginia commuters. I look forward to passing this bill through the Senate and helping relieve our commuters from high tolls." House Bill 1832 passed through the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday in a vote of 19-0with two Delegates not participating in the vote. Several lawmakers and Loudoun County officials announced earlier this month that they had partnered together in bipartisan support of the bill. Del. Suhas Subramanyam and other proponents of the legislation said that the 14-mile stretch of tollway that runs between Loudoun County and Washington Dulles Airport has made the toll road unusable for many local residents due to the price of tolls. That issue has caused an uptick in traffic on local streets which have seen an increase in traffic because motorists are avoiding the Greenway. Loudoun County Board of Supervisors chair Phyllis Randall said that increases in tolls in recent years have been both egregious and unfair. Current tolls for a two-axle vehicle on the Greenway are $5.80 during peak travel times and $4.75 during off-peak periods. The owners of the Dulles Greenway have announced that they will seek to increase tolls by 6 percent to 6.8 percent between now and 2025. That would increase tolls to $7.90 in peak times and $6.15 in non-peak times. In addition to the group that previously came together to support the bill, several other officials — including the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce — have pledged their support for the legislation. According to a published report on LoudounNow.com, Chamber Vice President Grafton deButts testified before a House subcommittee last week that toll prices have "demonstratively discouraged" motorists from using the Greenway. The report said passage of the bill would change the thinking of local residents."If passed, the Greenway will become an economic asset for our community and not a liability," deButts said, according to the report.