Transportation momentum building behind the scenes?

We said earlier this week that it looks like the urgent focus on the state's transportation issues has fallen onto the back burner of late.

All that talk about "urgency" and "crisis" and "top priority" have sort of faded into the background. But Gov. Timothy M. Kaine insists that there is some important politicking going on, it's just not the high-profile stuff that draws headlines.

Kaine was in Hampton Roads earlier this week and said the administration is trying to tie up the budget and the higher education bond package so that when lawmakers return to Richmond, transportation is the only issue on their plate.

"We need to get some of the other issues done so we can focus on transportation," Kaine said.

Kaine said he was encouraged to hear about the local transportation summit, which he said was a "positive meeting" and he hopes to hear more.

Kaine did, however, acknowledge that the administration is meeting with lawmakers in small groups. Apparently Kaine huddled with his pollster and Democratic leaders earlier this week for a transportation work session.

"It's been a lot of shuttle diplomacy," Kaine said.

Don't expect much open wrangling on transportation for at least another week though, because the anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting is going to drown out any sort of partisan bickering, and rightly so.

But come the week of April 21, the front burner is probably going to heat up again. Lawmakers are going to be prepping for the reconvene session and you've got to believe that at least a few are going to use that platform to talk transportation. Anybody want to bet that Del. Dave Albo is going to lob some transportation fireballs?   

If they don't get loud that week about transportation, the silence will be deafening.   

Comments

[Phillip Paul]

Nothing will get done until there is a complete, and total housecleaning at VDOT. It is senseless to keep talking about "raising money for transportation" when it will be piddled, wasted and lost through fraud and mismanagement at VDOT!

The "crisis" in transportation is VDOT, not a lack of money!

Voters and taxpayers are waiting for just one elected official to address this issue. Until then, you all are just spitting into the wind!