Independence Day News Roundup

Start thinking about more transit on the I-66 corridor. Reps. Gerry Connolly (D) and Jim Moran (D), both of Northern Virginia, are pushing for federal funding to begin study of an extension of Metrorail's Orange Line to Centreville. Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is moving forward with an environmental study on a proposed expansion of the Manassas Line to Gainesville and Haymarket. Meanwhile, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) is studying the I-66 corridor for more short- and medium-term fixes, such as bus rapid transit.

• The Washington Post: "Up Next on N.Va. Transit: Planning for Everything"
• Washington Business Journal: "Gerry Connolly, Jim Moran Push Rail Extension in Transportation Bill"
• The Washington Post: "Plans to Extend VRE To Haymarket Advance"
• VRE: Gainesville/Haymarket Extension (archives)
• DRPT: "I-66 Transit/Transportation Demand Management Study"

The county has no money. And as a county, Fairfax is reliant on the state transportation department (VDOT) and federal handouts for most transportation projects. VDOT allocated the county virtually nothing for new secondary road construction this year, but federal stimulus is funding highway construction at the Fair Lakes interchange and the extension of the Fairfax County Parkway to Fort Belvoir.

• The Washington Post: "Ailing Budget May Lead Fairfax Back to Car Tax"
• The Connection Newspapers: "Fairfax Out of Road Money"
• The Fairfax County Times: "County's Fiscal Outlook Remains Grim"
• VDOT: "Virginia Obligates More Than Half of Discretionary Highway Stimulus Funding"
• WTOP (AP): "Va. Receives $285M in Highway Stimulus Funding"

What if the county were a city? If Fairfax County were a city, as the county executive recently suggested, Fairfax would be the largest city in the region, bigger than Baltimore, D.C., Richmond, and Virginia Beach. And Fairfax as a city would have more independence from the state's central departments of transportation and taxation to take such matters into its own hands.

• The Washington Post: "Fairfax Executive Suggests Dropping 'County'"
• WTOP: "Should Fairfax County Change Its Name?"
• The Examiner: "Unhappy with Roadwork, Fairfax Eyes Becoming City"

Fairfax Connector took over former Metrobus routes in western Fairfax County. If you take a bus in Centreville, Chantilly, or Oakton (12's, 20's, 2W), check the Fairfax Connector website for new route numbers and any schedule changes.

• WMATA: "Metrobus Service, Fare Changes Begin June 28"
• Fairfax Connector: Centreville, Chantilly, Oakton Routes
• Fairfax County Department of Transportation: "Fairfax Connector to Absorb Centreville and Chantilly Metrobus Service Effective Monday, June 29, 2009"

Offbeat: Centreville Baptist Church has moved its sign off Route 29. The sign facing southbound traffic was of the large wheeled flashing variety usually used to alert drivers to dangerous or special conditions, but the message was an invitation for men to attend the church's prayer service.

• WTOP: "Church Asks Foregiveness, Moves Road Sign"