Transportation

Having a top notch transportation system in Southwest Virginia is one of the keys to recruiting and retaining quality employers. We must have roads that are accessible and safe so that commerce is not impeded. It is particularly important that we have a Delegate in Richmond who will fight for our fair share of transportation dollars so that our region can thrive and grow. Delegate O'Quinn has done just that.

Another key to transportation in Southwest Virginia is our railroad system. While rail isn’t used for personal transportation at this time, it could be in the future, providing direct routes to a number of stops. In the meantime, rail is a very important mechanism for shipping a variety of products into and out of our region. Likewise, if a business wishes to locate in Southwest Virginia and they export product on rail, it is crucial that spur lines be accessible to their facilities for ease of shipment.

While Southwest Virginia doesn’t face the daily standstill traffic that plagues other parts of the Commonwealth, we do have our own set of unique transportation challenges. There is no doubt that I-81 in particular is a dangerous road. However, Delegate O'Quinn strongly opposed the push to make I-81 a toll road. He will continue to oppose that plan in the future as it is unfair to those in our region and cannot be implemented in the form in which it was proposed.