McAuliffe, Cuccinelli Grilled on Bi-County Parkway

The controversial Bi-County Parkway has become a hot button issue in Virginia’s race for governor, as state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) and businessman Terry McAuliffe (D) frequently addressed the project in their “Battleground Forum” in Manassas on Friday.

The event featured the candidates taking questions from members of four local Chambers of Commerce, and both men had to answer questions on the proposed 10-mile road that would link Prince William and Loudoun counties.

McAuliffe generated the most controversy by refusing to take a concrete position on the issue until he had all the facts.

“I want to get all the stakeholders in a room,” he said. “I think sometimes people make these decisions without all the facts in front of them.”

That comment prompted moderator Derek McGinty of WUSA-9 to follow up by asking, “Don’t you owe it to the voters to take an actual position on the Bi-County Parkway before they go to the polls?”

The question was met with thunderous applause from the audience, but McAuliffe wasted no time in firing back.

“That’s cute to say,” he said. “But I do not make decisions, nor will I make decisions, without the facts in front of me.”

McAuliffe was ultimately able to defuse the tense situation by asking McGinty if he actually lived in Virginia. When the moderator admitted that he did not, the room erupted in laughter.

However, McGinty added, “I’ll move there when I know about the parkway.”

Cucinelli took a much firmer position on the project, saying he approved the idea in theory, but had quibbles with some of the specifics.

“I believe a significant connector there must take place,” he said. “But I’ll tell you that I’m appalled at the notion that closing roads is part of the trade off.”

The current proposal for the parkway does recommend closing Routes 234 and 29 if the road is built. The National Parks Service insists it won’t allow the parkway to follow the western edge of the Manassas Battlefield unless the roads are closed, but the attorney general takes issue with that position.

“I frankly don’t believe them,” Cuccinelli said. “They have road plans nationally that they can’t execute on, and the notion of closing down a key road through Northern Virginia I think is just beyond acceptable.”

Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis, who attended the forum but didn’t participate, rejects the notion that the parkway is a domain for the governor’s office.

“I don’t understand why Richmond is the principal decision maker on it,” Sarvis said. “It’s a bi-county parkway because it principally affects the two counties. I want to decentralize both the authority and the funds so that local officials who have more knowledge of the situation are making the decisions.”

Despite their disagreements on the specifics, the candidates feel something must be done as the area continues to expand.

“I think we all agree that we need to open up Dulles Airport,” McAuliffe said. “We’re going to be seeing so many more folks moving into (the area) and with all that going on, we’ve got to be smart about it.”