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get bucks
Virginia Business
March 2004
Traveling
across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge is already a nightmare
— and it’s about to get worse. The first
traffic-affecting phase of the $2.56 billion replacement
of this outdated link between Maryland and Virginia
begins this spring, but bridge officials hope to help
de-clog affected roads by paying drivers to stay off
of them.
Bridge Bucks, a one-year pilot program announced in
January, will subsidize 1,000 eligible commuters with
$50 a month to use alternative transportation. Options
include Metro rail, the bus, and organized vanpools.
In the first three weeks more than 500 people signed
up, including 374 from Maryland, 120 from Virginia and
12 from D.C. The program will cost $600,000 and, if
successful, could be expanded.
Can 1,000 fewer cars make a difference on a bridge that
carries 200,000 cars a day? Probably not, admits Wilson
Bridge spokesperson Michelle Holland. “But we’re
hoping that the program itself will prompt commuters
to recognize that it’s a good idea and begin thinking
about using alternative transportation on their own.”
In other words, paying to avoid traffic might be just
as rewarding as getting paid.
Virginia
Business - March 2004
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