This is going to be a hot race. One reason I know that for sure–today, as I read some proposals from GOP candidate Bob McDonnell as to the funding of his just-announced transportation plan, I was actually nodding my head in agreement and thinking, ‘Yeah, it’s about time we did that.’

McDonnell released his impressively detailed plan today following the announcement of his Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds’ economic plan on Monday. It’s difficult to compare the two plans head to head, as Deeds is so far clearly focused on jumpstarting the economy–chiefly through bolstering the small business sector–as well as protecting school funding. Within his plan Deeds does present innovations to state transportation, but as the Pilot pointed out, “Deeds has been reluctant to wed himself to a specific funding approach, preferring to build a consensus.” McDonnell’s plan, on the other hand, is solely focused on transportation and how to fund it.

Among his proposals are an increase of the speed limit on interstate sections to 70 mph, an upgrade of 460, and fulfilling a third-crossing plan to connect the Southside to the Peninsula. (All items that drew my “Hallelujahs.”) The funding for these to-do’s will come from sources including privatization of the state’s ABC stores (Amen!). But that’s pretty much where the nods of agreement from me end. McDonnell’s other proposed funding sources include offshore drilling and tolling highways between North Carolina and Virginia. Moreover, at the top of McDonnell’s list is widening I-64, an item that really ought to take a backseat to, say, bringing hig-speed rail to VA and expanding light rail–two items on Deeds’ agenda.

Photo | Waldo Jaquith

In response to McDonnell’s unveiled plan, Deeds blasted his opponent for essentially proposing to drain $1 billion from the General Fund and diverting 75% of annual budget surplus revenue: “We need to bring parties together to reach agreement on a statewide, long term transportation plan. Yesterday I released the key components of my plan, and today Bob released his. There is a lot we can agree on. But one thing we can’t do is divert funds currently going to public schools to pay for roads.”

Yet until Deeds details his own plans for funding such lofty transportation goals as bringing forward a long-term, multi-modal, statewide, creative transportation proposal in his first year as governor, it’s tough to see which of these men will actually be able to get their jobs done.