Today's Washington Times is reporting that a Virginia Supreme Court might rule as soon as today on a local tax case that could change the way Northern Virginia confronts its crippling traffic congestion.
The case is testing the limits of the state legislature's right to delegate taxing authority to local agencies.
A ruling in favor of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) would allow the agency to continue levying seven new taxes to finance road, bridge and public transit improvements.
The NVTA says it is trying to minimize commuter annoyances such as those of Kathleen Joyce, an information-technology project analyst who drives daily from her home in Springfield to her job near Fairfax County Parkway and Route 28 in Ashburn.
The 37-mile drive sometimes takes her two hours in the mornings. She puts up with it only because she likes her job near the Dulles corridor.
The article adds that a court decision against the NVTA would mean advocates for transportation relief would need to look elsewhere for funding at a time when one of the region's solutions to traffic problems ? a Metro rail extension to Washington Dulles International Airport ? appears to be losing federal support.
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