Strapped for road project cash, Virginia lawmakers get creative

With Virginia strapped for cash, Northern Virginia lawmakers, along with Gov. Bob McDonnell, are searching for new ways to pay for road repairs and construction, looking at everything from borrowing billions to giving free advertising to businesses in exchange for road maintenance. McDonnell’s $4 billion transportation proposal has already hit roadblocks in the General Assembly, where some lawmakers argue that the plan relies too heavily on borrowed money. About $3 billion would be borrowed through the use of bonds. “To simply borrow money — unless you have revenues to match that — all you’re doing is shifting the burden onto future taxpayers,” said Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax.