Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said Wednesday that he hopes to hear very soon that the federal government will grant as much as $200 million to the commonwealth to advance the Atlantic Gateway transportation projects. The projects include an extension of the 95 Express Lanes south to Fredericksburg, a new Interstate 95 bridge over the Rappahannock River and a fix for the aging Long Bridge over the Potomac River, as well as other rail improvements in Northern Virginia.
“I think we’ll know in the next few days,” McAuliffe said during his “Ask the Governor” show on WTOP radio. McAuliffe was buoyant in describing the potential impact of this set of transportation projects, not only on travel along the I-95 corridor in Northern Virginia but also on long-range travel through the southeastern United States.
A portion of what overall would amount to more than $1 billion in state, federal and private investment would help lay the groundwork for high-speed rail through the Southeast by allowing Virginia to acquire CSX’s S Line, an abandoned rail route between Petersburg and the North Carolina border.
