Republican lawmakers attacked Gov. Tim Kaine on Monday for not putting stimulus dollars to work on Virginia roads fast enough, seizing on criticisms by a high-ranking congressional Democrat that Virginia ranks last in spending stimulus funds for highway projects.
“We are at a critical situation,” Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., told reporters on a conference call. “The economic growth and the opportunities here depend on improving transportation.”
Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued a letter reminding the Democratic governor that Virginia ranks behind all states and the District of Columbia in deploying its stimulus money for roads. Virginia, Oberstar wrote, “has begun construction of projects totaling only 17 percent of the state’s funding.”
Republicans pounced on the letter Monday as evidence the Kaine administration had bungled the almost $700 million in stimulus funds set aside for highway projects.
Wolf urged the money be used to widen Interstate 66, reopen shuttered rest stops or put construction projects back on the Virginia Department of Transportation’s six-year plan.
Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity, a Republican who represents the Springfield District, suggested the funds could be used to revamp the congested interchange of the Fairfax County Parkway and Fair Lakes Parkway.
Democrats fired back by pointing to Wolf’s original opposition to the $787 billion stimulus plan.
“It’s interesting that a congressman who voted against the recovery act in the first place is now criticizing the governor’s implementation of those funds,” said Kaine spokeswoman Lynda Tran.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds, who has been embroiled in his own tussles with the GOP over transportation funding, said he was “disappointed” in Virginia’s ranking, but said it shouldn’t reflect poorly on the man he is running to replace.
“If it makes the governor look bad, it’s unfair,” Deeds said after a campaign event Monday. “It ought to be a demonstration of a problem we’ve had over the last umpteen years coming up with a solution for transportation.”
