RICHMOND
State transportation officials delivered another round of bad but not unexpected news on Wednesday when they laid out plans to further slash $851.5 million from road-building operations over the next six years.
Since spring 2008, the state's six-year road plan has been reduced by $4.6 billion.
"So we're running a six-year program on five years of revenue, essentially," transportation secretary Pierce R. Homer explained.
The six-year construction budget is $7.6 billion.
The decline in state transportation revenues has caused the state to lay off Virginia highway department workers, reduce services and shift its limited resources to pay for the most pressing repair projects.
Those strategies have left what Homer termed a "skinny" road program that directs money previously dedicated to local roads toward primary and interstate needs and places federal construction dollars into maintenance costs and reduced transit operations.
About $50 million would come from Hampton Roads projects in this latest round of cuts.
Because the proposed reductions were released late in the day Wednesday, local transportation officials could not say what the cuts mean for local motorists.
However, a list of recommended cuts shows that improvements to the Interstate 64 westbound ramp onto eastbound Interstate 264 could be decreased by $40 million, which means the $52 million project won't be built anytime soon.
It's among $107 million proposed to be eliminated from interstate projects statewide.
Other trims include $5 million from U.S. 17 widening in York County, $2.3 million from Va. 626/Shoulders Hill Road reconstruction in Suffolk, nearly $1 million from the Portsmouth Boulevard/Nansemond Parkway widening in Suffolk and Chesapeake, and $500,000 from the Princess Anne Road/Kempsville Road intersection improvements.
In addition to cuts to road construction, $84 million must be eliminated in VDOT programs and services before the end of the fiscal year. Reductions will come in administrative costs, equipment purchases and maintenance and paving operations.
Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com
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Fund Diversion
We would have funds for the roads if only Virginia would stop diverting the infastructure money to the low income people in this state.
answer me this mr barrett
Why have you never come out to champion the two things that would help traffic and wouldn't cost one dime. That is to ban cell phone use while driving and having people live in the cities that they work in. I am not going to pay more in gas tax because someone want's to live in Willamsburg and work at Va Beach. Another problem is as long as Southside wants to be 5 different cities instead of one this area is always going to be a backwater.
You were serious?
Sorry ring, I thought you were joking. Actually, I agree with the ban on using a cell phone when driving. Pull off the road and talk, and when you can pay full attention to driving, get back on the road. However, in regard to the ban on working outside the city in which you reside, that is called parochialism, and would be disastrous, as our job market is clearly all over Hampton Roads and into Eastern NC as well. That is as it should be.
Mike
I did say ban cell phones while driving but I didn't mean that people HAD to live in the cities they worked in, only a suggestion that they do so.
Let me get this straight.
Let me get this straight. You won't pay any more gas tax until the area cities and counties merge and create one city called Hampton Roads? Actually, not a bad idea, of course one that has been suggested before. So if that happens, you will agree to support a higher gas tax?
One city called Hampton Roads?
You must be high on drugs Mike. All that would do is increase the cost of government. No councilman, city mananger, fire chief, or police chief would be replaced. They would have to create an executive council to augment the votes from the other five city councils. That's why places like New York City are all jacked up. Of course I know that bigger and more intrusive government as well as higher taxes is what you live for Mike. You just can't help it.
since
You didn't answer my question I won't answer yours. I know people who commute over 100 miles one way to go to work. That is a choice they make due to location, school system whatever. I don't care how long they sit in traffic because it is their personal choice. I learned a long time ago that everything in life is a compromise and living close to work was the smart thing to do. No I am not going to pay taxes or tolls so they have an easier commute. There are other ways to ease traffic that don't cost money such as stagering work hours but everone wants to work 9-5. I will agree that this area would be much better off under one local government but I think pigs will fly before that ever happens.
Ooops!
I almost forgot to give kudos where props is due!
Thank the Lord up in heaven we have our wonderfully educated journalists at the Pilot to keep subscribers and constituents of Tidewater informed of what is ACTUALLY going on in the Commonwealth.
What would we do without you guys? We love you! Muah!
...and guess what?
If you think the reduction in road funding is bad... its all propaganda folks. They are just setting the table to hike the gas tax. If they weren't intending to do so cuts would have been across the board.
If that ain't proof enough for you, consider the increase in size at our local marine terminals. Container shipping is supposed to triple in our region over the next three years. The heartland railroad corridor from here to Chicago is almost complete to handle the volume of containers. Trains will soon be able to double stack containers and travel non-stop with goods straight to Chicago.
Mayor Fraim screaming about tunnel flooding, Portsmouth neglecting to spend money on roads while investing in the move of PMT... the signs are all there.
The state will let roads deteriorate, traffic congest, people complain, people die, and THEN they'll raise the taxes. All of the while politicians will be washing their hands of it all.
Welcome to the Syndicate of VA! Man! What a shakedown!
Suspend The House Of Delegaters
The obstructionists in the house have made this mess and they should go without pay and any compensation from our taxes until it is fixed.
Do we need a Commonwealth?
This is just anotherin a continuing saga that began over a decade ago as the House of Delegates decided that the gas tax did not need to keep up with inflation. Add in that cars are more fuel efficient, and the $0.175 tax that was set in 1986 now buys less than $0.08 worth of improvement. More announcements will follow until we don't come close to the essential maintenance necessary to ensure safety. The Commonwealth Transportation Board is now considering designating Corridors of Excellence, which is a positive way of saying what roads should be abandoned so we can maintain the roads that are critical. So smart cities, like Suffolk last evening, are discussing what they have to do now that the State has essentially gotten out of the road building process, leaving it to the cities and counties. Since the Commonwealth has done that to education as well, the question is, do we need a Commonwealth?
Huh?
Do we need a Commonwealth? I am no supporter of the Commonwealth. Common-wealth translates into the wealth of commoners will be used at the discretion of the state.
But! I sure as hell do not want a dissolution of the state!
I want someone between me and Obama!
Then move
Since you did not get your way in the elections, have you thought about moving out of the Old Dominion? It would quiet your incessant whining. You are more dramatic than my teenage daughters.
How low can you go?
Well it is now the mantra of the republican party that if you support a functioning, safe, and efficient transportation system, that constitutes whining. How much farther can we spiral down until whining will include calling attention to the failure of the Commonwealth to fund its share of K-12 education, or its absolute denial of its obligation to provide state funding for local roads. Will that soon include statements that I object to being 47th in the nation in medicaid funding that supports services for the sick, the infirmed, the elderly, and children? How about concern about the state of our mental health services, the lack of which have put us in the national spotlight for situations of a horrific nature? How low have your expectations gotten about what is best for Virginia that you would condemn a citizen who supported core services of government?
Whine
Whine...whine...whine. You love to speak in democrat sound-bites. It really is quite amusing.
Budget and light rail
You can deduct another $50 million from the transportation budget when the news comes out that the Norfolk light rail budget will grow from $288 million to $340 million-plus. Norfolk can't afford the overage and US-DOT won't pay either. So the only place left for the money to come from is the state transportation fund. Do you hear that V.B?
Play fair!
The fair way to cut this budget is a 15% cut across the board for each program and department. no exception, until the econ improves.
No blame game, just the economy
This isn't a political football to be kicked around placing senseless blame. It wouldn't matter who was in office: this situation was caused by the recession. This sort of thing happens every time there is a recession. Fewer dollars being made means less taxes taken in to fund projects. In this case, EVERYONE is left hurting. Until the economy picks up, taxes are raised, or tolls are instituted, big projects aren't going to get done, it's that simple.
Not so
In all due respect Mark, that is not the case in this situation. Even when Virginia was flush with cash, and ran a large surplus, in which $300 M was transferred from the general fund to transportation in one year, the House of Delegates refused to consider a long term solution to the erosion of the buying power of the $0.175 gas tax, which is now worth less than $0.08 in buying power. Those in the House who have signed Grover Norquist's no tax pledge are simply unable to respond to the needs of Virginians, relying instead on a pledge created by the associate of Jack Abramoff who now sits in federal prison. This is a deplorable abdication of responsibility by the entire majority caucus in the House of Delegates. The only crack in the facade is that the cuts are now so deep, especially in the rural areas, that these delegates are feeling some heat from their voters. It can't come soon enough.
MarkK
I disagree with your statement that "Until the economy picks up, taxes are raised, or tolls are instituted, big projects aren't going to get done, it's that simple." During a recession the last thing you need to do is take more money in taxes or tolls from those who are already struggling to make ends meet. What needs to happen is until the economy recovers the unnecessary extra spending for those nicety projects needs to stop and just the essentials need to be maintained. As a private citizen you are expected to live with a set budget and this doesn't change just because we are in a recession. I dare you to go to your boss and tell him that you can't be expected to live without the extra things in your life so he needs to pay you more so you can keep up with the Jones, This person would laugh you out of their office if not fire you for being stupid so what is the difference? Should politicians just be allowed to continue spending when there is no money left and be allowed to keep raising taxes or tolls so they can spend more? I say not it stops here and now.