CHESAPEAKE
A development team that includes a former VDOT commissioner has proposed building a new, privately owned toll bridge alongside the Jordan Bridge, which was closed last month after 80 years of carrying vehicles between Portsmouth and South Norfolk.
The executives pitching the project say they can build the new bridge for under $100 million, even though city officials said replacing the Jordan could cost $300 million.
"We're not requesting a penny of city, regional, state or federal funds," said Philip Shucet, a member of the development team who served as the Virginia Department of Transportation's commissioner from 2002 to 2005.
The team, which also includes a bridge development firm that has built over 50 bridges in 38 states, is looking for city approval in January. If that happens, the groups want to begin building the bridge in early 2009 and have it open to traffic on July 4, 2010.
The new bridge could have a toll of around $2 to help recoup the costs and turn a profit for the investors. The Jordan Bridge toll was 75 cents before it closed Nov. 8.
While the Jordan lifted for boat traffic on the Elizabeth River's Southern Branch, the replacement bridge would be a 145-foot-high fixed span.
The bridge would start out as two lanes, but the development team leaders say they can build another two lanes later to meet future traffic demands.
The team includes Florida-based Figg Bridge Developers, which helped to build the replacement bridge for the one that collapsed in Minnesota last year. Figg designed and helped construct the new Minnesota bridge in just 11 months, said Linda Figg, the company's president.
Miami-based investment firm Britton Hill Partners will be financing the project, Shucet said.
Chesapeake Mayor Alan Krasnoff called a special meeting Tuesday to formally acknowledge the proposal before the holidays. City staff will now review and evaluate it and make a recommendation in January.
"South Norfolk and the region are getting a wonderful Christmas present," Krasnoff said.
The team also said it wants to purchase and take down the closed Jordan Bridge, which could save Chesapeake the $2.3 million in toll revenues it planned to spend to remove the bridge.
The proposal comes four months after the city first announced that the Jordan should be closed if $4 million in structural repairs were not made within a year. An additional $13 million in repairs would be needed over the next 10 years, city officials said.
Some residents criticized Chesapeake for not trying to come up with a plan to replace the bridge, which carried 7,000 vehicles each weekday. Many of those crossing the bridge were workers going to and from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth.
"I'm for it 100 percent," Burnie Mansfield, president of the Chesapeake Council of Civic Organizations and a member of the Chesapeake Port Authority, said of the new proposal.
Mansfield spoke multiple times against the closure of the Jordan. "It's a great plan."
Even before the Jordan closed, regional planning officials predicted the shutdown would have a particularly bad effect on traffic next year. That's when a 46-month project to replace the Gilmerton Bridge is set to begin. A section of Military Highway will be reduced from four lanes to two during 40 of those months, state transportation officials say.
To ease traffic across the region, Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim said late last month that he planned to urge state officials to build a new, toll-free Jordan Bridge and bundle the project with a private group's proposal to expand the Midtown Tunnel.
Shucet and Figg say they expect the proposed bridge to take traffic away from the congested Downtown and Midtown tunnels.
This would be Shucet's first project since forming his own company a month ago. Until a month ago, he worked as the chief development officer for The Dragas Co s., a Virginia Beach-based real estate development group. As VDOT commissioner, Shucet earned praise for his efforts to reform the agency and deliver work on time and on budget.
Shucet has known Figg and her family for more than 30 years. The two discussed the Jordan Bridge replacement idea just days after Shucet left The Dragas Cos.
Figg's company does research on bridges across the country. Knowing that the Jordan was nearing its end, Figg said, she first started thinking about a project to replace it several years ago. She got serious about it over the past six months and had the investment company in mind by the time she spoke with Shucet last month.
"There was a strong need" for a replacement bridge, Figg said. "It served a local community. It is an important connection."
Shucet shopped the proposal to Krasnoff just in the past two weeks. Last week, Krasnoff arranged for each council member to hear about the proposal individually from Shucet and Figg.
Krasnoff said he was impressed with the proposal and the companies involved. He hopes that the project will happen.
"This is not a fly-by-night organization," he said. "We're not going into this blindly, and we're certainly not going to be blindsided."
Mike Saewitz, (757) 222-5207, mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com
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I'm All For It!
Having the private sector to step in and do what government is failing to do in Chesapeake and Portsmouth is a good thing in this case. I consider myself a liberal on government spending, but a pragmatist as well. There is definitely a place for private enterprise in the rebuilding of the infrastructure. Hopefully, the incoming Obama administration will make good use of that. Create tax breaks for those companies that are inclined to do this would save all of us from having to pay higher taxes for these projects. It's all about common sense folks. We just can't drift too far in either direction. I am a little concerned that the hard working folks who have to use that bridge each day to go to work will be paying the bill, but my guess is that they would rather do that especially when the price of gasoline goes back up.
$2 too much?
Laughable. Whining about a $2 toll. The HRBT had a toll of $1.25 for almost 20 years - over $9 in 2008 dollars. Why do people have such a hard time paying for the use of a facility? I say let them build it and collect tolls forever to maintain the bridge and allow a fair profit to the investors. In fact, we should put the toll back on I-64 at the HRBT, and at the MMBT. Those 3 places alone would do a world of good toward our local road projects.
Question
I've already commented on this story, but...
If the cost turned out to be way over $100M because, say the EPA made all kinds of demands to clean up around P-Town, or whatever, and in turn asked Chesapeake and VDOT for "aide money", would you still support this project?
Feel free to comment. If their is no risk of a VDOT-funded bailout to Schucet and Figg, LLC, then let's get a pen and sign this thing. The best part is all the liability is on them since they have full indefinite ownership. VDOT, com'on...dump your liabilities with all the tunnels.
evadsti & brucek55003
Gas tax should be used on alternative fuels to curb our foreign oil use. So we add .01 just to fix the bridge you use? Lynnhaven Rd is in terrible condition and halted since budget cuts.
Take a pick higher taxes or higher toll. Toll is never a permanent situation.. just a way to have consistent income since the investor knows how many shipyard/base people work in general area. Codition of old bridge sign said 3ton. But, if I drove with a 5K lbs vehicle it could brake
Who will profite from the bridge?
Presumably, a corporation will own the bridge. It wgould borrow the money to build the bridge. To make local elected officials clamor to go forward with the project, all that needs to happen is for the corporation to give one percent of its shares to each of five of council member's adult children. As long as these offspring don't live in the homes of their council member parents, there are no reporting requirements and the public would have no way to learn that money was being made by immediate family members of our beloved friends at city hall.
If you want the bridge built, encourage council members to make sure their kids get a piece of the action. With a private motive in mind, council could be expected spend money in the future to aid the bridge; anything from access roads at government expense to compensation for discounted monthly EZ tickets would redound to the benefit of the children noted above.
As some may recall, there was a time that some local officials were in line to get 1% tidbits of an applicant that was seeking to provide cable TV to city residents.
This is a 145 foot span at a
This is a 145 foot span at a cost of 100 million and the Dominion Blvd is a 90 foot span and is supposed to cost 360 million or so, maybe these guys could do the Dominion Span as well. Why is it that private individuals can do these projects for a third of the cost to the taxpayers? Also the government can borrow the money for about a third less than private individuals so why can't they do this for less?
Sounds like a great idea
Placing tolls on the bridge sounds like an EXCELLENT alternative to raising taxes or using other public funds. Let the people who use the bridge PAY for the bridge, plain & simple. Great idea!
Re-thinking transportation: an added note
When I said HR needs to follow the Los Angeles/San Francisco model, I meant the surburban freeway system of those respective areas. While those cities have railed transit like NY/NJ, like this area, the car is still by far the first choice for transportation in LA and SF. Freeways there have NO LESS THAN 10 lanes. Light rail is a "luxury" piece of civil infrastructure, and Hampton Roads cannot afford Lexus.
A new HRBT?
They should get this organization to bid on building an addition to the HRBT. Use tolls on it too. With as plugged up as it gets, I don't doubt people, myself included, would be willing to pay to get back and forth across the Roads faster than the 30 minutes to an hour extra it typically takes these days.
all who benefit should pay
Infrastructure improvements benefit everyone. Everyone should pay.
Stop growling, people. Find
Stop growling, people. Find some gratitude. If it turns sour, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!
Yes
I'm now retired but when I as working I took the bridge twice a day. I was happy to pay the toll and would be happy to do it again if need be. I've retrained myself to take alternate routes but during the holiday shopping adventures, as few as there were, I missed taking the Jordan to my favorite shops at MacArthur Center. If the bridge is built, I'll pay to cross it when I need to save some time. I would like to suggest a flyover lane to and from the shipyard. I've often felt for those workers who have to sit in long lines to get home after a long day. Also, a word to the City of Chesapeake: Once the bridge is built, make sure the lanes coming off the interstate at Poindexter are improved. Anyone trying to get from the ramp at Poindexter to get over the bridge has to fight to get into the left lane. Only seasoned mergers are kind to those trying to work their way out of a lane that's ending.
I knew when the bridge closed there was hope to have it rebuilt. We needed to "suffer" to see what it was like to do without. We should be grateful to the private co. willing to rebuild it. It's cheaper because that's what they do on a regular basis. Many middlemen were cut out.
Re-thinking transportation:
We are a car based metro. A privatized toll road system like that that was built in the middle 20th century would be what would give us the transportation we need. People think I'm joking, but 16 - 20 lane freeways with double decking and replacing big signalized intersections with grade separated interchanges (i.e. Military Hwy and Va Beach Boulevard) would best serve this area. Hampton Roads needs the Los Angeles/San Francisco model, not light rail which follows the New York/New Jersey model.
Privatizing is good for cities and VDOT also. They get to shed all the liability. Can you imagine all the billions in lawsuits if a fire happened inside a tunnel at rush hour?
Oh, and the reason the city says $300M is because that what VDOT reported to them. The Portsmouth side is an EPA superfund site that would be very expensive to clean up. VDOT/Chesapeake would be held to very strict standards from the US EPA, but a private venture could circumvent the law to a certain extent. Why do you think VDOT privatizes interstate maintenance?...private companies can use illegal immigrants to reduce cost, but VDOT itself cannot.
Too Much
Sounds like too much toll for the poorer people who have to cross it every day of their lives.
jordan bridge compared to light rail?
Now here's a group whose bid should be reasonably credible. They are talking about their own money to build the bridge unlike the Light Rail flim-flam where the light rail hucksters deliberately put out a low-ball bait and switch price for approval and then the taxpayers are on the hook for the cost overrun 'surprises'.
Give the light rail project to these folks including all monies spent so far. The unspent budgeted money can be put back into the gov't coffers, the taxpayers are not on the hook for unlimited cost overrun surprises and the company gets the money spent so far for free.
It's a win-win for both sides.
100 million dollar bridge.
At least the 100 million dollar price tag is better than the 300 million that they thought the bridge would cost. The first Chesalpeake Bay bridge tunnel cost $200 million.
The toll was $4. Based on that the $2 toll seems about right. Still $2 seems high just to cross such a narrow river. I don't think most people would mind paying one dollar. It dose cost $2 to cross the York River, but the York is a lot wider and the toll is only collected in one direction. The other direction is free. So the average is only one dollar. Warner Athey
Tolls for New Jordan Bridge
I think the idea of $2.00 toll on the new Jordan Bridge is reasonable.
In my years of living is this area. There was a time when we paid $1.75 for the HRBT, $1.50 for the James River Bridge, and tolls on both tunnels per trip.
Sometimes you have to pay for something to get something in return.
I'm willing to pay the $2.00 per trip toll on the New Jordan Bridge, just to have a shortcut to Norfolk when the tunnels are "Backed Up!"
With the prospect of a new Jordan Bridge in the future. This will give the emergency services from Portsmouth to back-up Chesapeake EMS in the event of another tank farm rupture.
Get real: Pay the Toll! Life is not a free ride!
Fine. But it's really not
Fine. But it's really not going to fix anything unless VDOT, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth step up to the plate and ease access to 264 and 464. The Jordan Bridge was underused because of this.
Still, as a better long-term solution, there needs to be a second tube at midtown.
Great Job
Alan,
Thank you for having the vision of getting things done, without putting the burden on taxpayers. Hopefully you and your staff can negotiate limits to the increases in toll rates, to further protect the taxpayers in the region. Finally a good decision on the part of our City Council, Thank you.
Fairness
My personal opinion is that gas tax is the only fair way to fund any highway project. If you drive more, you use the roadways more, and you pay more. Adding one cent to a gallon of gas will generate $40 million a year (for the state) - more than enough to build a new Jordan Bridge.
How about a compromise. Privatise the building of the bridge, but subsidise the tolls with a gas tax hike.
My calculations are based on the 2007 figure of over 4 billion gallons of gasoline sold in Virginia. I would gladly endure even a 10 cent hike in gas tax if it meant better roads and bridges.