495, 95 and 395 Express Lanes operator announces grants and sponsorships for organizations delivering essential services

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Transurban, a global infrastructure developer and operator, announced today $75,000 in donations to 18 Northern Virginia organizations as part of its longstanding commitment to the communities in which it serves. Headquartered in Northern Virginia, Transurban North America operates the 495, 95 and 395 Express Lanes as part of a public-private partnership with the Virginia Department Transportation. Recent donations are a part of a decade-long community grant and sponsorship program that has supported over 300 regional organizations providing services to vulnerable residents or advancing public safety, education, mobility and environmental stewardship.

“Transurban is dedicated to the long-term success of the Greater Washington Area and strives to be a good partner where we operate,” said Pierce Coffee, president of Transurban North America. “For us, that means responding to the needs of our neighbors at this critical time and doing what we can to advance the work of organizations on-the-ground who are expanding access to health care, food assistance, safety equipment, education, and emergency services related to COVID-19.”

Recipients of the grants and sponsorships include the following organizations, who were awarded between $1,500 and $15,000 each:
• Virginia Foundation for Community College Education
• Stafford Hospital Foundation
• Northern Virginia Family Services
• EduTutorVA
• Carpenter’s Shelter
• United Community
• Arlington Food Assistance Center
• The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria
• The Child & Family Network Centers
• Cooking Autism, Inc.
• Virginia Food Community Connection
• Table at St. George’s
• WRAP’s Sober Ride
• Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy
• Virginia Hospital Center Foundation
• Signature Theater
• Northern Virginia Active Transportation Summit
• Food for Others

The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE), recipient of $15,000 through Transurban’s 395 Express Lanes Anniversary Grant, will use the funds for FastForward, an expedited job training program at Virginia’s Community Colleges for industries seeking to hire qualified workers. FastForward helps unemployed and underemployed Virginians retool and retrain for new careers by offering credentials in seven fields including health care, logistics and transportation, and welding and manufacturing. In response to the evolving impact of COVID-19, the VFCCE launched an urgent funding initiative to ensure students had resources to access FastForward programs.

“We appreciate Transurban’s investment in Virginia’s Community Colleges and the future leaders it’s helping to build in Northern Virginia,” said Dr. Stewart Roberson, VFCCE Board Chair. “With this grant, more than thirty Virginians will have the opportunity to complete our FastForward program, which not only leads to better skills and training but also to higher paying jobs and a better quality of life by having access to employer-sponsored healthcare, paid leave, and fulfilling work in their chosen field.”

Recently recognized by the Virginia Transit Association for outstanding business contributions, Transurban delivers critical infrastructure projects to meet the long-term transportation needs of communities. The company operates 53-miles of Express Lanes in Northern Virginia which have collectively saved more than seven million drivers a total of 17 million hours of time since first segments opened in 2012. The network’s development and construction has also contributed to the creation of approximately 46,000 jobs and $7 billion in economic development in the Greater Washington Area.

Transurban is advancing network extensions in Northern Virginia including the 495 Northern Extension (NEXT) project and 95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension project, both designed to unlock regional congestion chokepoints while offering new and more reliable travel choices. The company, which co-leads Accelerate Maryland Partners LLC, was also recently selected by the Maryland Department of Transportation to develop the American Legion Bridge I-270 to I-70 Relief Plan, which will improve mobility and benefit more communities across Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Learn more about Transurban and its community grants program.

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About Transurban North America
About Transurban North America Transurban is one of the world’s largest toll-road operators and developers, working to get people where they want to go, as quickly and safely as possible. By embracing collaboration with government, our public-private partnerships are delivering transformative infrastructure solutions across five markets. In fiscal year 2020, our customers saved 339,000 hours on average each workday across 2.0 million trips on our roads with faster, more predictable travel options. With a leading market share of transportation P3 investment in North America, we are pioneering travel solutions like dynamically tolled Express Lanes and are partnering with government to think about the policies, technology and infrastructure that will get you home today and ten years from now. Learn more about Transurban in North America at:
Transurban.com | Expresslanes.com | A25.com

About The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education
The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) is the supporting arm of Virginia’s 23 community colleges. The VFCCE works to broaden educational access, support student success, and provide innovative solutions to workforce needs. Our mission is “Building student success and the Commonwealth’s future by supporting Virginia’s Community Colleges”. To ensure access to high quality, affordable education, the VFCCE provides statewide leadership in raising funds for community college education, supplementing and supporting the activities of the 23 individual colleges, and securing support for major system-wide initiatives that could not be undertaken by any single college. For more information, please visit https://vfcce.org/.

About Virginia’s Community Colleges (VCCS)
Since 1966, Virginia’s Community Colleges have given everyone the opportunity to learn and develop the right skills so lives and communities are strengthened. By making higher education and workforce training available in every part of Virginia, we elevate all of Virginia. Together, Virginia’s Community Colleges serve more than 280,000 students each year. For more information, please visit https://www.vccs.edu/.