Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Michael Martz recently covered Gov. Ralph Northam uniting with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to “fix one of the most vexing transportation bottlenecks in the Washington region” — the replacement of the aging American Legion Bridge, which carries Capital Beltway commuters across the Potomac River between Virginia and Maryland, in order to reduce congestion and expand capacity for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike.

I applaud this bipartisan, bistate partnership tackling congestion head on to improve regional connectivity. Infrastructure improvements, such as rebuilding the American Legion Bridge, are crucial as travel conditions will worsen as population and employment in Northern Virginia will increase by 24% and 37% respectively through 2040. In 2015, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), the regional transportation funding and planning body, corresponded with then-Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne Jr., encouraging the initiation of discussions with Maryland to examine options to improve travel on the Capital Beltway from the American Legion Bridge to the Interstate 270 spur. Four years later, NVTA welcomes the recent announcement from Govs. Northam and Hogan and looks forward to ongoing collaboration with Virginia and Maryland to improve travel conditions across the region and to get people home to their families faster.

Monica Backmon,

Executive Director, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.

Fairfax.