励志演讲者喜欢提醒我们，成功是一场马拉松，而不是冲刺。但是，如果弗吉尼亚州立法者希望在即将举行的该州大会会议期间成功解决迫在眉睫的运输预算危机，他们可能想尝试引导卡尔·刘易斯或UsainBolt.

由于2013年是奇怪的一年，弗吉尼亚州的宪法在1月9日召开后仅允许大会仅45天才能完成业务。与其他州立法机关一样，运输资金只是争夺立法者注意力的许多问题之一。

但是今年带来了更加紧迫的感觉，因为弗吉尼亚州再次发现自己需要长期的道路和桥梁维护资金来源。否则，井将在大约四年内干燥unless the state adds to the $300 million it’s siphoned from construction funds over the past decade, or counts on continued low interest rates for bond-funded projects.

As a state bound so closely to history and tradition (the General Assembly is, after all, the Western Hemisphere’s oldest legislative body, first convening in 1619), it’s hardly surprising that Virginia hasn’t touched its 17.5-cent gas tax since 1986. And the tax-averse representatives who dominate the House of Delegates and share power in the State Senate show little inclination to buck this 27-year-old tradition.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t try.

任期有限的鲍勃·麦克唐纳（Bob McDonnell）（R）将很快公布五年，五十亿美元的资金计划that will be generated by indexing the gas tax to inflation, and transferring funds from other state programs. The latter component has already come under fire from critics, particularly those in the perpetually congested DC suburbs who question the wisdom of investing in the $1.4 billion460号公路收费公路项目，the primary purpose of which is to help the state’s ports capitalize on the hoped-for bounty of post-Panama Canal widening shipping traffic.

Several other ideas已被立法者抛弃。它们包括用低所得税抵消较高的汽油税，并完全取代州销售税的总体税。说到营业税，汉普顿道路立法者再次考虑向选民询问to endorse a 1-cent sales tax increasefor local transportation needs, a proposal that went down in flames at the polls in 2002. Tolling I-95 at the North Carolina border has also been floated as a means of capturing money for dedicated maintenance needs from through travelers.

如上所述，弗吉尼亚州并不孤单地尝试找到解决交通融资问题的解决方案。（马里兰州正在为类似的战斗当其立法机关于1月16日召开时。-or very little.

Obsessed as it is with tradition, Virginia also toutsits ability to find innovative, P3-based solutions to major transportation needs (e.g., the环道andI-95 HOT lanes在北弗吉尼亚州，Midtown Tunnelin Hampton Roads), It will be interesting to see if five weeks and change are enough for leaders to divert a little of that innovative spirit toward ensuring reliable day-to-day operation of those day-to-day roads.

UPDATE 1/8/12 4:00pm.So what exactly did the governor propose?A little bit of everything。