Northern Virginia voters soundly defeated a regional transportation tax Nov. 5. Opponents questioned whether the referendum would have encouraged sprawl and worsened congestion.

The referendum sought nine Northern Virginia jurisdictions to increase the sales tax from 4.5 percent to 5 percent. If passed, the additional revenue would have raised an estimated $5 billion for road and transit improvements over 20 years.

The state law that created the referendum promised spending for virtually every major traffic corridor in the region, including I-66, I-95, I-395, Route 1, Route 7 and Route 28. Tax money also was pledged for expanding transit lines down the Dulles corridor and along I-66 to Centreville.