Transportation Coordinating Council

//■ ДО fi’m- j 'ifatfltfi EXCERPTS OF REMARKS GIVEN TO TRANSPORTATION COORDINATING COUNCIL 10:00 A.M. JULY 24, 1991 NORTHERN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE ANNANDALE CAMPUS ANNANDALE, VIRGINIA BY GOVERNOR L. DOUGLAS WILDER Thank you and good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am pleased to have this opportunity to be with you to convene this initial meeting of the Transportation Coordinating Council. I am sure that this is but the first of many productive sessions to come, and I commend you all on your willingness to participate. Here in Northern Virginia, you have experienced firsthand the effects of rapid growth during the past decade. We've all read the statistics .... about how this area's population will approach 1,800,000 people by the year 2000. Those of you here today have watched the statistics come to life in the form of substantial new commercial development; ....a significant increase in the demand for housing and public services; and .... schools that are under tremendous strain to keep up with expanding enrollment. Unquestionably, Northern Virginia has been a major economic engine for the Commonwealth in recent years. And yet, lately, that engine has slowed considerably. Unlike the 1980's when this region's growth in employment exceeded statewide growth, employment growth since the early Nineties has continued to decline. ... faster than the whole state. When compared to last May, there are 22,000 less jobs in Northern Virginia or a decline of approximately 2 . 8% . .. . about a full percentage point below the statewide decline. Of course, the construction industry in Northern Virginia offers an even clearer picture. As of May, construction employment has fallen 26% - or 14,600 jobs compared to last May.