[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 55 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 55

To authorize alternatives analysis and preliminary engineering for new 
 Metrorail capital projects in Northern Virginia and surrounding areas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 2011

  Mr. Connolly of Virginia (for himself and Mr. Moran) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize alternatives analysis and preliminary engineering for new 
 Metrorail capital projects in Northern Virginia and surrounding areas.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Northern Virginia Metrorail 
Extension Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority 
        (Metro) maintains the second largest rail network (Metrorail) 
        in the Nation.
            (2) Local governments in Northern Virginia have led efforts 
        to extend Metrorail service, and any future Metrorail extension 
        will be provided only with their collaboration, consistent with 
        local planning objectives.
            (3) More than 120,000 Federal employees ride Metro to work.
            (4) Metro takes 580,000 cars off the road each day, 
        eliminating the need for 1,400 lane miles of highway and 
        eliminating 1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions 
        annually.
            (5) Metrorail stations enable transit-oriented development, 
        which is critical to protecting open space regionally.
            (6) Metro stimulates economic growth.
            (7) Real estate near Metrorail stations is worth in excess 
        of $25 billion.
            (8) The Virginia Department of Transportation and 
        Department of Rail and Public Transit completed a Major 
        Investment Study that concluded that a multimodal 
        transportation strategy is required to accommodate projected 
        travel demand in Virginia along Interstate Route 66 from 
        Interstate Route 495 to Haymarket, the area to be served by the 
        proposed Orange Line Metrorail extension.
            (9) The population of the area to be served by the proposed 
        Orange Line extension is expected to be 681,000 individuals by 
        2025, while employment in the area is projected to increase to 
        362,000 individuals by that date.
            (10) As a result of military base realignments and 
        closures, thousands of jobs will shift from the area of Crystal 
        City, Virginia, which is served by Metrorail, to Fort Belvoir, 
        Virginia, and its engineering proving ground, which are not 
        served by Metrorail.
            (11) Despite recent road improvements, including the 
        Springfield Mixing Bowl, Interstate Route 495 continues to 
        experience congestion at both Potomac River crossings during 
        normal rush hours.
            (12) It is critical that extensions of transit service are 
        coordinated with local land use planning, including the use of 
        smart growth principles and transit-oriented development.

SEC. 3. PROJECT AUTHORIZATIONS FOR NEW FIXED GUIDEWAY CAPITAL PROJECTS.

    (a) Alternatives Analysis.--The following project is authorized for 
alternatives analysis under section 5339 of title 49, United States 
Code: Northern Virginia--Metrorail Purple Line extension.
    (b) Preliminary Engineering.--The following projects are authorized 
for preliminary engineering under section 5309(m)(2)(A) of such title:
            (1) Northern Virginia--Extension of Metrorail Blue Line.
            (2) Northern Virginia--Extension of Metrorail Orange Line 
        to Centreville.
            (3) Northern Virginia--Extension of Metrorail Yellow Line.
            (4) Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland--Metrorail 
        capacity expansion.
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