When it comes to fixing transportation, House Speaker William J. Howell says Democrats may prefer a standoff to a solution.

"It makes you wonder if this is all to put it off to the 2009 elections," the Stafford County Republican said after meeting privately yesterday with Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and legislative leaders from both parties.

Next year, Virginians choose a new governor and Republicans defend their last redoubt of power at the state Capitol: the House of Delegates.

Transportation again looms as a campaign issue, particularly in the vote-rich suburbs that are supplying growing majorities for Democrats.

House Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong, D-Henry, said Howell's suggestion is baseless -- that Democrats want a statewide road-and-rail plan.

In contrast, Republicans prefer rewriting funding provisions for Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads thrown out in February by the Virginia Supreme Court.

"Anyone who says we're intentionally trying to derail that is wrong," said Armstrong. "To say that would be a self-fulfilling prophecy."

However, divisions within the legislature on a solution are complicated by differences within the party caucuses.

For example, Democrats are split over a proposal by their Senate majority leader, Sen. Richard L. Saslaw of Fairfax County, to raise the fuel tax for the first time since 1986.

Even Armstrong opposed it during the 2008 General Assembly, though he signaled yesterday that he may change his mind: "I'm not one to say, 'Hell, no.'"

House Republicans are resisting higher taxes, and they say the Democrats' emphasis on a statewide remedy is a ruse to raise gasoline and diesel levies.

"Who are we kidding?" said House Republican Whip M. Kirkland Cox of Colonial Heights.

While lawmakers disagree on a statewide solution, some say they can still address the Northern Virginia and Hampton issues.

"If you don't have 51 votes in the House [on a fuel-tax increase], why delay?" said Del. Samuel A. Nixon Jr., R-Chesterfield.

But with all sides far apart, it is unclear when the assembly will return in a special session to repair the 2007 transportation bill -- perhaps May or June.

"The time for action was yesterday," said Del. Brian J. Moran of Alexandria, chairman of the House Democratic caucus and a candidate for governor.

It was the second time in less than a month that Kaine sat down with lawmakers, hoping to find common ground on transit.

The issue has renewed urgency because last year's hard-fought transportation financing plan has a $600 million hole.

That's because the state just dumped unpopular bad-driver fees that were expected to raise $65 million a year.

Another problem: The Supreme Court said the program illegally extended tax powers to unelected regional authorities that expect to sell $500 million in bonds for projects in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

Kaine and the 10 lawmakers conferred for about an hour at the governor's office on Capitol Square.

The session included a presentation by Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer on the anticipated shortfall in the highway-maintenance budget.

By law, the state is required to maintain existing roads before building new ones.

Within 13 years, maintenance costs will be about $2.5 billion, about five times those for construction, according to a document prepared by Homer and which Armstrong shared with reporters.

Republicans said they were skeptical of the administration's figures.

"The projections are the projections," said Kaine spokesman Gordon Hickey. "It's not like anyone is making it up."
Contact Jeff E. Schapiro at (804) 649-6814 or jschapiro@timesdispatch.com.