The latest big bucks to drop into Virginia politicians' warchests come from the American arm of Australian toll-road operator TransUrban. It's a cool $10,000 to the House Republican Campaign Committee and it brings the Aussies' contribution to Virginia good government since 2005 to a grand total of $398,210.
Who are they? Well, TransUrban has a 75 percent stake in the Route 895 Pocahontas Parkway link between Interstates 64 and 95 to the east of Richmond. That's the one that charges you $3.25 for an 8.8 million shortcut from Richmond's airport to south Richmond. They also have a two-thirds stake in the I-495 express lanes on the Capital Beltway in Northern Virginia, where drivers pay as much as $1.25 a mile, depending on how busy the highway is. A similar project is under construction along I-95 in Northern Virginia.
The timing is interesting, with rewrites of public private partnerships likely coming from a McAuliffe Administration that's sounding more than a little miffed at deals that saw the state spending big bucks on U.S. 460 project before the private partner nailed down Corps of Engineers permits or an Elizabeth River tunnel project that sees drivers paying tolls for tunnels that don't yet exist.
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