The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
The Virginia Port Authority’s board signed off in principle Tuesday on an agreement to give up a portion of the authority’s annual state funding to help pay for improvements on U.S. Route 460.
“I think the full commission conceptually agrees with this,” said Michael J. Quillen, the board’s chairman. “Obviously, our obligations are to look for improvements in the infrastructure, to move traffic away from the port more efficiently than we do today and to offer to take some stress, as much as can, off the local streets.”
The board still has questions about some of the resolution’s wording, Quillen said. The plan is expected to come back before the board as early as next month and no later than November, he said.
The agreement with the Virginia Department of Transportation would dedicate roughly $5 million a year in state port funding for the new road, beginning on July 1, 2013.
The Port Authority’s contributions would begin July 1, 2013, and be capped at $250 million. It would continue “until the end of the concession term with the private entity developing and operating the project.”
The state is seeking a private-sector partner to realign a new U.S. 460 between Suffolk and Petersburg as a limited access, four-lane divided highway.
“Given that the new 460 will parallel the Norfolk Southern mainline, it will open up an enormous amount of land for megasites, manufacturing and distribution centers,” said Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton on Monday. “We believe this is the economic future of Hampton Roads.”
It’s expected to cost between $1.5 billion to $2 billion, said Charles Kilpatrick, VDOT’s chief deputy commissioner, in a presentation to the board.
“It will be a toll project,” he said. “The toll revenue is insufficient to cover the cost and a public subsidy is needed and that’s part of the reason we’re here today.”
VDOT already has committed $500 million for support of the project, he said.
The tolls, in 2010 dollars, are projected to be about $7.70 for a car, to $24 for a truck, $38 for a five-axle vehicle and $46 for a six-axle, Kilpatrick said.
Detailed 460 proposals are due early next year. VDOT’s goal is to have an agreement by May to build the new 55-mile road south of the existing one. Construction is expected to take five years.
In other business, the board voted to approve offering early retirement packages to its employees in an effort to cut expenses. The Port Authority has 126 employees – 84 law enforcement, of whom 32 would be eligible, and 42 non-law enforcement, of whom 14 would be eligible.
The board’s approval of the retirement offers came with the provision that non-compete, non-disclosure and non-solicitation clauses be included.
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tell your delegate NO
NO toll on 460. All that is needed is a bypass around Windsor. Look at 460 west of 85 and follow that example. Why build a road that would not be used.
Kick 'em out of office
All of a sudden those who advocated for PPVs as if they were free now have to justify the exhorbitant tolls required to pay the return international investors require over decades. The average fuels tax paid in Virginia by a driver who get 20 miles per gallon and drives 12,000 miles per year is $100. Now, if their route will require a bridge or tunnel crossing like the Midtown or Downtown Tunnel, they will pay the $100 plus $1,100 in tolls. So folks who voted against the Yes Campaign, how are you liking these numbers now? And lest you think it is just those routes, soon, just about every project will be built as a PPV/toll road. Our cost of transportation is set to take an exhorbitant leap so our Delegates can keep the no tax pledge.
The Yes campaign was all
The Yes campaign was all about raising gas taxes to pay for the port. Even now, had it been implemented, there would still be no congestion relief for local commuters. But there would be a $4BIL bridge to no-where for the port, money to pay for light rail cost over-runs and project mismanagement. Everything but what we need.
US 460 is wrong choice
US 460 is too close to I64 and pretty much runs NW(uh, parallel?)...the better choice would be US 58 so the ports could utilize more traffic from/to the South. It would not only connect with I95 but also I85 in South Hill. US58 would also be easier and in my opinion, cheaper in the long run. I use 58 regularly and it is indeed full of trucks already, maybe even more than US 460 (not counting the logging trucks).
Agree
VDOT has traffic counts on 460 less than 10,000 vehicles on that road. Nowhere the amount for a toll road. Rt. 58 has over 50-60,000. Rt. 58 was the original route for the interstate but changed to I-64 route now. Savannah ports are doing better than HR due to our not having a west and southern route. They have 2 interstates beside them - I-95 and I-16 going west toward Atlanta. And not to forget the better rail routes north-south-west.
Hurricanes move west then north and a better route out of here is WEST.
What is VDOT and the Governor thinking?
460 and 58
I have used both roads in the last month and see no problems with either. There are maybe 3 stop lights on either. This is a collossal waste. Congestion at the tunnels is not caused by vehicles going to and from Richmond, Petersburg, and points North and West (other than summer traffic on the weekends).
Private companies take risk
Ah, the myth of public-private partnerships for highways is that the private companies want no risk so tax dollars pay for that; the State justifies it by saying we need to keep the toll low. What we need is to have the State build the road with a combination of fuel taxes and tolls. What we spend to do this is likely less than is wasted in fuel sitting at the tunnel in traffic each day.
New taxes...
"contributions would begin July 1, 2013, and be capped at $250 million. It would continue “until the end of the concession term with the private entity developing and operating the project.”
"It’s expected to cost between $1.5 billion to $2 billion"
“It will be a toll project,”
"VDOT already has committed $500 million for support of the project"
Lets see, our tax dollars will kick in over $750 million dollars to build a road that we can pay a toll (tax) to use...for a privately owned road. Am I the only one to say "enough is enough?" If a private company wished to build a private road to toll as they wish, please do not put my hard earned money in as a "contribution"
How gracious
Now you can pony up a couple billion for the PRIVATE-public tunnel venture.
Bacause the
public part of the partnership need to funnel money to the Private part to make sure they make a healthy profit from their billion dollar road. You don't expect the Private company that will take the toll money to not be able to pay the executives tons of cash do you?