Virginia transport cost for inauguration tops $500,000

By: BY PETER BACQUE Media General News Service | The News & Advance
Published: January 29, 2009

Virginia spent half a million dollars to carry more than 72,000 transit passengers free to President Barack Obama's inaugural.

The $500,578 cost works out to about $6.92 for each of the 72,293 passengers. The state initially estimated the one-day

bus service would cost up to $975,000.

Virginia officials say the free service — which handled an estimated 4 percent of inauguration attendees — was key to avoiding massive traffic jams in Northern Virginia during the event. It will seek reimbursement from the federal government.

During Inauguration Day, personal vehicles were not allowed to cross the Potomac River bridges into Washington from Virginia.

"When we have a security situation that requires the shutdown of major interstate highways and bridges, we have to respond accordingly," said state Transportation Secretary Pierce R. Homer.

"The only way in was bus and rail," said Gordon Hickey, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's spokesman. "The roads were closed. It was absolutely a good expense."

Kaine approved the use of state economic contingency funds to pay for the service, Hickey said. The Democratic governor was an early supporter of Obama's presidential candidacy.

The service took 36,000 cars off Northern Virginia's normally congested roads, said Jennifer Pickett with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, which reported the cost.

Unofficial estimates put inauguration visitors to Washington at 1.8 million.

The Washington Metro transit system had a record 1.5 million passenger trips Jan. 20, with its rail service carrying nearly 50 percent more passengers than on an average day.

"It's not just people going to the inauguration," Pickett said. "It's [also] people going to work."

While Virginia picked up the tab for people to use public transit from Park & Ride lots to Metro stations and pedestrian access points for the inauguration, the Washington Metro and the Maryland Transit Authority raised fares.

"We knew going in we were going to have a tremendous amount of expenses and we were looking for some way to recoup those expenses," said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel.

On Inauguration Day, Metro charged rush-hour fares from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., he said, as well as $4 to park at its normally free lots. A one-day pass, normally $7.80, was $10.

The Maryland Transit Administration charged $25 for its MARC commuter trains. The most expensive ticket is normally $22.

"We were trying to do some cost-recovery for providing the service," said MTA spokesman Jack Cahalan, "but this was not a money-making proposition. What we were trying to do was manage the load."

For the inauguration, Virginia agreed to pay eight Northern Virginia public-transit agencies to run 300 buses on 45 routes that served Metro stations, pedestrian access points and Park & Ride lots.

Peter Bacqué is a staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.