The Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Regional Transportation Action Committee (RTAC) travelled to Washington, D.C. to discuss the Fredericksburg Region Transportation Crisis with a delegation of congressmen from throughout the Fredericksburg and Northern Virginia regions. Congressman Wittman helped coordinate the group consisting of Senator Kaine and Representative Brat.

RTAC discussed the growing transportation crisis in the region, specifically, the I-95 corridor. According to Hamilton Lombard at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, by 2040, half of Virginia’s population will be living in Fredericksburg or north of it. Based on these population changes, the Fredericksburg region needs at least $5 billion in critical infrastructure needs, which includes multi-modal transportation. The Commonwealth of Virginia does not have the financial resources to invest in these infrastructure needs on the Federal Highway.

I-95 is a critical vein of commerce connecting the Port of Virginia to markets throughout the East Coast, as well as a critical route for evacuations of both man-made and natural disasters. Without the proper redundancies and key infrastructure investments, the current transportation conditions could exacerbate a disaster.

“Today was another step in our continued battle to fight for our transportation crisis. We appreciate our official’s willingness to discuss solutions with the business community.”

• Susan Spears, President and CEO of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce

“I was thrilled that we had an opportunity to connect with our Congressional delegation on this critical issue. Investments in our infrastructure will move our economy forward and maintain our national security.”

• John F. Fick III, Chairman of RTAC.