WASHINGTON – Virginia Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe has an easy road ahead of him when it comes to transportation in the commonwealth, said Gov. Bob McDonnell on WTOP’s Ask the Governor program Tuesday.
“Well, I’ve told him, ‘We’ve done the heavy lifting, he can just go cut ribbons for four years,'” McDonnell said jokingly during his last appearance on the show.
McDonnell leaves the office in January.
McDonnell, a Republican who saw transportation funding increase from $11 billion to about $17 billion during his term, offered the following advice to McAuliffe, a Democrat, when it comes to transportation:
- Spend the money wisely.
- Focus on congestion relief and economic development.
- Appoint “smart, good people” to the Commonwealth Transportation Board who work to solve the greatest problems for largest number of people.
- Get the best contracts at the lowest prices for “value engineering.”
“The good news is that the resources now are largely there and I think that’s going to work for a while,” said McDonnell, who added that the highest-priority transportation project is Interstate 66.
While in office, McDonnell has worked to reduce congestion on the 25-mile stretch of I-66 between Va. 15 in Prince William County and the Capital Beltway in Fairfax County.
McDonnell said once he leaves office, his top priority is taking some time off. He says he has received several job offers, but doesn’t have anything to announce about his occupation just yet.
“I’m looking at doing something very different for a while,” McDonnell said.
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