Leaders: Divert U.S. 460 dollars to Patriots Crossing

A group of influential business and political leaders wants the state to slow down plans to build a new, interstate-quality U.S. 460 and redirect scarce transportation dollars to the Patriots Crossing, a proposed third bridge-tunnel at the Hampton Roads harbor.

The Hampton Roads Partnership stated in a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton this week that "the Patriots Crossing will have much greater near-term impact on easing traffic congestion and stimulating job growth in Hampton Roads."

The Patriots Crossing, one phase of what's known as the Third Crossing, would connect the northwest corner of Norfolk near the port and naval station to Craney Island and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.

Gov. Bob McDonnell's top transportation priority is forging a public-private partnership to rebuild U.S. 460 between Suffolk and Petersburg. The goal is to provide an alternative to the notoriously congested harbor tunnels and Interstate 64, and to support economic growth in the corridor and at the ports.

McDonnell has committed $500 million in state funds and is seeking $5 million a year - or a total of no more than $250 million - from the Virginia Port Authority.

Three private consortia have submitted conceptual proposals and are working on detailed plans for the 460 project, which has an estimated cost of $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion and could carry tolls from $5.50 and $11 for cars and up to $75 for trucks.

The Hampton Roads Partnership, composed of business executives and city leaders, questions the 460 upgrade's viability if it is done before other road and tunnel projects.

"If the Route 460 Corridor is completed before projects to relieve congestion on I-664 and I-64 in Southside Hampton Roads, it will not be able to achieve its goals in easing traffic congestion and stimulating job growth," wrote Deborah DiCroce, chair of the partnership's board of directors and the president of Tidewater Community College.

The letter says the Partnership is not opposed to funding U.S. 460 "at an appropriate time in the future."

The group also stressed the importance of the Patriots Crossing to the Navy, saying it would not only relieve congestion for Navy commuters but ease the movement of mission-critical shipments and accommodate expanding the military presence here.

Connaughton said the Patriots Crossing, which is still in the study phase, is more than five years from starting and will ultimately cost more than double U.S. 460 once the Monitor-Merrimac expansion is included.

"We would really encourage the business community to get behind the projects that are doable now and let us get them done," he said.

The state is close to finalizing a public-private partnership to build a parallel Midtown Tunnel starting next year, as well as improve the Downtown Tunnel and expand the Martin Luther King Freeway in Portsmouth. Those tunnels, connecting Norfolk and Portsmouth, will have tolls of $1.59 to $1.84 for cars.

Connaughton said the financial plan for the Midtown project is based on no new water crossings in the area except the Jordan Bridge replacement, which is scheduled to open next year across the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River between Chesapeake and Portsmouth. Shifting away from 460 to the Patriots Crossing "would have the potential to have a negative impact on the finances" for the Midtown project, he said.

"We simply, given these times, don't have the luxury of sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars when we have projects that are potentially ready to move forward. If we don't move forward on Route 460, more than likely there are projects in other parts of the state that are ready to go and will get those funds."

A preliminary analysis done earlier this year by the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization indicated that the Patriots Crossing would cost more than $2 billion and require a $2 to $3 toll on that span as well as on the Hampton Roads and Monitor-Merrimac Memorial bridge-tunnels.

The crossing was rated the top interstate project in a Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center analysis done last year at the request of legislators that measured travel-time improvements throughout the region during peak hours.

Long a cheerleader for the Patriots Crossing, Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim said: "I think all of us are very glad with the attention these transportation projects are receiving from Richmond, but if I had my way, I would push the Patriots Crossing forward. It relieves more congestion than any single project. I would spend the $500 million on fixing bottlenecks on the High-Rise Bridge and I-64 on the Peninsula and spend the rest jump-starting the Patriots Crossing."

State legislators passed a bill earlier this year inviting private companies to submit proposals on the Patriots Crossing. None was received. Another bill seeking proposals for expanding the HRBT netted three proposals, which have been tabled while federal environmental studies are conducted.

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