PORTSMOUTH, Va. - — Gov. Youngkin signaled toll relief in Hampton Roads could be paid for through money generated from the proposed Monumental Arena.
A spokesperson for the governor told News 3 on Tuesday afternoon he "has expressed his openness to substantially enhancing that [toll] relief, through allocating funding by the Monumental Arena project."
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More toll relief in Hampton Roads? Virginia Gov. says he's open to talk about it
When presenting the budget Sunday afternoon, State Sen. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) called for $92 million in funding to go towards offering 14 free trips per week through the Downtown and Midtown Tunnels for people making under $50,000.
That would expand the current Toll Relief Program, which offers 50% off of 14 tolls per week for people making under $65,000.
"I reiterate this will be my top priority over the next four years of this term," said Lucas on Sunday.
Watch previous coverage: More toll relief in Hampton Roads? Virginia Governor says he's open to talk about it
Youngkin tying his support to the arena deal is the latest in a back-and-forth between the governor and Sen. Lucas, who chairs the powerful Senate Finance Committee.
Earlier this month, Lucas did not docket a bill to establish an authority to construct a new arena for the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals in Alexandria.
Lucas tweeted that the bill is "not ready for prime time."
Governor’s Arena Bill is not on the Senate Finance and Appropriations docket because his proposal is not ready for prime time. This is what happens when Executive Branch doesn’t operate in good faith and doesn’t have respect for the Legislative Branch.
— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) February 10, 2024
Her move did not kill the project as the bill advanced on the House side, but it sets up a showdown between Lucas and the governor as budget negotiations intensify in the final weeks of the legislative session.
In a subsequent statement, Youngkin reaffirmed his support for the arena after the AFL-CIOI labor union came out against it on Tuesday.
"Virginia is a right-to-work state and unreasonable demands from union leaders will not derail this project," said Youngkin in a statement. "I will continue to work with the General Assembly to complete this opportunity and bring $12 billion in economic contributions that will fund shared priorities in Virginia."
