State seeks private proposals for U.S. 460 work

The state highway department moved Gov. Bob McDonnell's top transportation priority forward Wednesday by seeking proposals from private companies to build a new U.S. 460 as a limited-access highway between Suffolk and Petersburg.

It would be a toll road, because no state or federal money is available for construction, said Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton.

"We're trying to make this a true private toll road," he said.

Connaughton said the project would be a model for public-private partnerships to build roads as Virginia grapples with shrinking transportation revenue. He said it will require "new ideas and innovative financing methods."

The U.S. 460 project has long been seen by planners as a way to ease congestion in and out of Hampton Roads on Interstate 64 and the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel by establishing another major route.

It's also important for emergency evacuation, military preparedness, freight movement and motorist safety, officials have said.

The Virginia Department of Transportation received three private proposals from a 2006 solicitation on the project. VDOT's acting commissioner, Gregory A. Whirley, ended that process this week and issued a new "solicitation for proposals" Wednesday.

"VDOT appreciates the efforts of our private-sector partners on the project," he said, "however, market conditions have changed dramatically since... 2006."

Those proposals ranged from $1 billion to $1.9 billion and required up to $734 million in state funds. Tolls would have reached $13.

Connaughton said several entities have expressed interest since the governor announced he wanted to aggressively pursue the U.S. 460 project. Companies will have until Aug. 5 to submit proposals. "We will do what we can to try to work with them on financing proposals, getting traffic on the roadway and increasing the revenue stream while not making any public financial commitment," he said.

The project calls for building a 55-mile, four-lane, divided, limited-access highway between Suffolk and Petersburg.

The path of the new road, south of the existing U.S. 460, has been approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board and the Federal Highway Administration. U.S. 460 was built in the 1930s and was widened about 20 years later.

Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com