WASHINGTON 鈥� Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday again celebrated the announcement of four road-construction projects totaling $1 billion, saying that the new highway lanes will help relieve some of Northern Virginia鈥檚 worst traffic bottlenecks.
鈥淭his is over a billion dollars, with a B, of investment in just these four projects. This is a real step in the right direction,鈥� Northam said on 草莓传媒鈥檚 Ask the Governor program.
Northam recounted the projects announced in conjunction with private partner Transurban 鈥� an extension of the 495 Express Lanes north to the American Legion Bridge; a reversible ramp connecting the 95 Express Lanes at Opitz Boulevard, and the finalization of a 10-mile extension of the 95 Express Lanes to Fredericksburg.
Transurban will pay for those projects; the state will also build, on its own dime, a southbound auxiliary lane on I-95 in Woodbridge to connect the connect the southbound Virginia Route 123 ramp to I-95 with the offramp at westbound Prince William Parkway. It鈥檒l be paid for in what Northam鈥檚 office characterized as 鈥減roject savings鈥� and won鈥檛 require any new tax money.
It was pointed out to Northam that the extension of the lanes to the American Legion Bridge might simply move the bottleneck into Maryland, and asked whether the move would put pressure on Maryland to add lanes on their side, Northam said, 鈥淚 hope it does.鈥�
He cited his good relationship with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Northam said Maryland officials realize 鈥渢his is a bottleneck that we need to open. 鈥� We feel like we鈥檙e doing our share on the Virginia side, and we hope to work with them.鈥�
He added, 鈥淵ou can bring all the lanes you want to the bridge, but unless you expand the bridge you鈥檙e going to have the same kinds of problems.鈥�
The Occoquan auxiliary lane opened up what the governor called 鈥渁 tremendous bottleneck,鈥� and could be seen as a move that would take traffic away from Transurban鈥檚 toll lanes, so the company thought it was 鈥渁 compensation issue,鈥� Northam said. The state disagreed, but 鈥渨e decided this is not something we wanted to argue or discuss for the next 69 years,鈥� Northam said.
The governor characterized the new road construction as part of an 鈥渁ll of the above鈥� transportation policy, including roads, transit and more.
鈥淥ur goal all along has been to move people and move goods as effectively and efficiently as we can,鈥� Northam said.
Teacher pay
This week, Virginia teachers demonstrated in the streets of Richmond for higher pay and more money for education. One estimate says spending by Virginia is down about 9 percent in the past decade, and teacher pay in Virginia ranks 34th in the nation.
Northam, who teaches at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, said he and his wife, a former high school and elementary science teacher, were out among the teachers. 鈥淲e teach because we love what we鈥檙e doing 鈥� we love children,鈥� Northam said. 鈥淏ut we have bills to pay, and our teachers do as well.鈥�
鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to recruit and retain talented teachers,鈥� he said, 鈥渨e have to pay them.鈥�
A 3 percent pay raise for Virginia teachers is set to go into effect in July. Northam has proposed bumping that raise to 5 percent. While Republicans in the General Assembly broadly agree with the goal, the two sides have different ideas on how to pay for it.
The tax bill pushed by President Donald Trump and passed last year will result in an increase in tax revenues in Virginia; combined with other measures such as the internet sales tax, Northam said, Virginia tax revenues last October were up 10 percent over the previous year. 鈥淥ur revenues in Virginia are doing very well,鈥� the governor said.
The Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates say that Northam鈥檚 plan will require a tax increase, while theirs won鈥檛. The governor argued that their numbers don鈥檛 add up, but said 鈥淢y door is open. I am willing to sit and talk about how we move forward,鈥� but said the legislative session was almost halfway over 鈥渁nd people haven鈥檛 even started talking about the budget.鈥�
The Virginia Education Association has said enrollment in teacher prep programs is down 40 percent in the last decade. 鈥淭his should be a nonpartisan issue,鈥� Northam added. 鈥淭he education of our children is important. They are our future.鈥�
Shutdown impact
Northam had sharp words about the effects of the federal government shutdown, which lasted 35 days and ended last week.
President Trump shut the government down after Congress wouldn鈥檛 approve $5.7 billion for his proposed wall on the southern border, and has said he鈥檒l shut the government down when the current deal expires Feb. 15 if he doesn鈥檛 get the money.
Northam said that 130,000 federal workers live in Virginia, and that roughly half of them didn鈥檛 get paid during the shutdown. They were 鈥渦sed as pawns,鈥� Northam said, as were the contractors who won鈥檛 be getting back pay. 鈥淣o excuse. For no good reason.鈥�
He said of the administration, 鈥淭hey鈥檙e talking about border security, and I get it,鈥� but among the agencies where workers were furloughed were the Department of Homeland Security, including the Coast Guard. 鈥淚f you want to talk about security, that鈥檚 where a lot of bad things happen.鈥�
Private and local efforts to help furloughed feds and contractors popped up across the area, which Northam called 鈥渁 good example of what we are as Americans.鈥� But as the shutdown cost Virginia millions of dollars in tax revenue per week, Northam said the question for states is 鈥淗ow much of a financial burden can we take?鈥�
His message to the president and Congress was, 鈥渄o not use fellow Americans as pawns when you have disagreements.鈥� Reacting to word that Trump recently estimated the likelihood of another shutdown as better than 50-50, he said 鈥淲e as Americans shouldn鈥檛 tolerate that and I hope we don鈥檛 have to experience it again.鈥�
Late-term abortion
Northam said the controversy regarding made by Del. Kathy Tran on her late-term abortion bill was 鈥渙verblown.鈥�
Tran acknowledged during a hearing that her bill would allow abortions up until moments before birth. But existing state law already provides for abortions throughout the third trimester, if three doctors certify a woman鈥檚 health would otherwise be substantially and irremediably impaired.
Tran鈥檚 bill would reduce the number of doctors required to certify late-term abortions from three to one. It also would delete the words 鈥渟ubstantially and irremediably鈥� when referring to the threat that continuing a pregnancy poses for impairing a woman鈥檚 health.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 there and I certainly can鈥檛 speak for Delegate Tran,鈥� Northam said, but he added, 鈥淭his is why decisions should be made by providers, physicians, mothers and fathers.鈥�
Northam, a doctor, said that such procedures happen 鈥渨here there may be severe deformities [or] a fetus that鈥檚 nonviable.鈥�
He explained, 鈥淭he infant would be delivered; the infant would be kept comfortable; the infant would be resuscitated if that鈥檚 what the mother and the family desire, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.鈥�
Northam added, 鈥淭his is why legislators, most of whom are men, by the way, shouldn鈥檛 be telling a woman what she should and shouldn鈥檛 be doing with her body. 鈥� We want the government not to be involved in these types of decisions.鈥�
He said that he would still support the notion of requiring certification from more than one doctor: 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 always good to get a second opinion.鈥�
Guns
Northam reiterated his opposition to a Senate bill allowing guns in places of worship, saying, 鈥淭his whole proliferation of guns is not the direction I would want to see Virginia go in.鈥�
The governor鈥檚 favored gun-control measures all failed in the General Assembly, but he continued to support reforms. He noted that 1,028 Virginians died from gunfire last year, and that a number of them resulted from suicides, accidents involving children and domestic abuse. All told, he said, that was more than died on the commonwealth鈥檚 roads, and yet discussion and adjustment of laws regarding traffic safety is considered a normal part of governance.
While his favored bills failed, Northam said, 鈥淲e have an election this November, and I would hope some like-minded people come to Richmond.鈥�
Tobacco and marijuana
Virginia raised its age for tobacco from 18 to 21, and Northam said the tobacco industry recognized the problems posed by young smokers and vapers.
鈥淭he tobacco industry realizes that ware have a problem in high school,鈥� Northam said, adding that 18-year-olds can buy tobacco and give it to children. 鈥淭hey see it as a problem,鈥� he said of the tobacco companies, and said moving up the tobacco age will help to alleviate that.
鈥淰irginia is a low-tax state, but I would be more than willing鈥� to have a discussion on raising tobacco taxes, Northam said, noting that, 鈥測ou and I end up paying鈥� for medical care for smokers.
The governor also restated his support for decriminalization 鈥� though not legalization 鈥� of marijuana, so that studies could be done on its effects in the interest of 鈥渆vidence-based medicine.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e 鈥� ruining the lives鈥� of people who are 鈥渘ot dangerous to our society,鈥� Northam said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
