John Bell for Virginia

Major John Bell (ret.) is a moderate Democrat and...

A decorated Veteran who served as an Air Force Finance Officer.

A Pro-Business Democrat in the tradition of Mark Warner who will grow our tax base so we don't need to increase our tax rate.

A commuter who has a transportation plan to reduce our terrible commutes.

A volunteer tennis coach at Freedom High School who believes supporting education is crucial to Northern Virginia remaining a great place to start a business and raise a family.

Del. Bob Marshall has been in the House of Delegates for over 18-years, and he has consistently spent his time on issues like abortion, marriage amendments and other wedge issues.

Over 80% of 13th district residents are commuters, including (ret.) Major John Bell. They waste hundreds of hours in traffic every year that takes time away from their families. Despite this, Del. Marshall has consistently killed transportation initiatives without offering solutions of his own. Major John Bell (ret.) has a transportation plan that will ensure Virginia no longer faces a transportation funding death spiral.

Please explore our website and learn about (ret.) Major John Bell's background and policy proposals.

Letter from John Bell to Governor Kaine and Sec. of Transportation Pierce Homer

The Honorable Tim Kaine                                      October 26, 2009
Office of the Governor
Patrick Henry Building, 3rd Floor
1111 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219

Dear Governor Kaine,

Virginians know our transportation network is in dire need of funding alternatives to fix our aging roads, construct new roads and ease daily congestion. Gridlock keeps Virginia’s residents away from work and home. The length of our commutes is a deterrent for companies wishing to locate in the commonwealth. To move Virginia forward, we must maximize efficiencies when we build roads.

While there are many funding options to be duly considered, I write to ensure the state government and the Virginia Department of Transportation is aware of a great success being achieved in Missouri simply by thinking about building roads differently.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has been the pioneer in implementing a new road-building doctrine known as “Practical Design.” This new way of thinking about road construction doesn’t create new revenue streams, but instead can shave tens of millions of dollars off individual road projects. Collectively, the state of Missouri has saved $500 million dollars and because of this several other states adopted the Practical Design approach.

Facing their own gridlock, Missouri’s Department of Transportation decided that its goal would be to build good roads that form efficient transportation networks. For example, instead of dynamiting through bedrock to build a road—a costly process—roads are sometimes engineered on top of the bedrock, which saves time and money while also protecting the environment. Practical Design also seeks to reinforce the substructure of old bridges whenever possible and then replace the bridge deck versus replacing the entire bridge. This approach is cheaper, faster, and less disruptive to both commuters and the environment. Practical Design strategies alone won’t solve our transportation problems, but by saving dollars on every Virginia project we will make significant progress in solving our transportation challenges.

Thank you for your consideration and focus on an issue that is of tremendous importance to millions of Virginians and particularly the residents of Loudoun and Prince William Counties.

Sincerely,

John Bell

cc: Pierce Homer, Virginia Secretary of Transportation