Commonwealth Transportation Board Draft 2015 Six-Year Improvement Program

Download the Draft 2015 Six-Year Improvement Plan HERE

Hampton Roads District Public Hearings will be held Thursday, June 4, at 6pm at the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23320.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) presented a draft Six-Year Improvement Program for Fiscal Years (FY) 2010-2015 to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB). The total proposed program is $7.4 billion, down from $8.9 billion in the revised FY 2009-2014 budget approved three months ago.

The FY 2010-2015 budget reflects $650 million in cuts to the highway program and $880 million in reductions to rail and transit. The highway declines are largely a result of continued state and federal revenue shortfalls, while the transit and rail declines are mainly attributed to the transition of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which reduced the program by $776 million.

“The commonwealth is continually challenged to meet federal obligations and state maintenance requirements for our highway system while dealing with drastic declines in state and federal revenues,” said Pierce R. Homer, Virginia secretary of transportation. “We have been able to maintain our rail and transit programs and services.”

Transportation revenue reductions have forced the CTB to significantly reduce the six-year program over the past several years:

• Fiscal years 2008-13 program adopted June 2007: $11 billion ($8.7 billion for highways)
• Fiscal years 2009-14 program adopted June 2008: $10.6 billion ($7.9 billion for highways)
• Revised fiscal years 2009-14 program adopted February 2009: $8.9 billion ($6.0 billion for highways)
• Proposed Fiscal years 2010-2015 program: $7.4 billion ($5.4 billion for highways)

VDOT also applied previously allocated but unused dollars from interstate projects to fund two major ready-to-go projects in order to match federal funds for FY 2009. More than $97 million from projects with phases that were not currently under way was reallocated in order to complete the I-95 bridge rehabilitation and I-64 paving projects in the Richmond District.

“After reducing the highway program by $2 billion in the revised FY 2009-2014 program, VDOT is again faced with more program funding challenges,” said VDOT Commissioner David S. Ekern, P.E. “VDOT is stretching every dollar to ensure federal and state obligations are met, and using available funds to keep projects that can move forward progressing as quickly as possible.”

Funding Reductions for Highway Program from the FY 2009-2014 Revised Program to the Proposed FY 2010-2015 Program

• Interstate: $1.4 billion to $1.3 billion
• Primary: $ 1.3 billion to $1.0 billion
• Secondary: $0.6 billion to $0.5 billion
• Urban: $0.5 billion to $0.4 billion

“While the reduction in available state rail, transit and commuter service funding in the draft FY2010-2015 program is primarily due to the reassignment of the Dulles Metrorail project, the transit and rail programs and services have been spared the drastic reductions of other areas of government,” said DRPT Director Charles M. Badger, P.E.

The Commonwealth of Virginia will host public hearings across the state in June to receive public input on the Fiscal Years 2010-2015 Six-Year Improvement Program for highway, transit, rail and commuter service improvements. CTB members will host the hearings and leaders from VDOT and DRPT will attend and provide information.

Written comments may be submitted to the following locations and must be received by June 12:

Public Information Office
Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation
600 E. Main St., Suite 2102, Richmond, VA 23219
drptpr@drpt.virginia.gov

Programming Director
Virginia Department of Transportation
1401 E. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219
six-yearprogram@vdot.virginia.gov

For more information, visit the CTB Web site at www.CTB.Virginia.gov, the VDOT Web site, www.VirginiaDOT.org, or the DRPT Web site at www.drpt.virginia.gov.


CONTACTS:
Jeff Caldwell, Jeffrey.Caldwell@vdot.virginia.gov
Jennifer Pickett, Jennifer.Pickett@drpt.virginia.gov

Welcome to SmartRegion.org's newest blogger links

Municipal Reference Library Radar is a current awareness blog brought to the Hampton Roads region by the Virginia Beach Public Library.

Virginia Intelligent Transportation Systems is an informational resource dedicated to the advocation and promotion of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in the Commonwealth of Virginia and surrounding region.

SmartRegion.org welcomes other Hampton Roads topical bloggers to link here for the benefit of the entire Hampton Roads region! Please submit to: Contact@HRP.org

National Transportation Week: Port, Rail Partnerships Promise a Bright Future for Hampton Roads

by Quintin C. Kendall, CSX Resident Vice President for State Government Affairs

This week is National Transportation Week, which provides us an opportunity to reflect on the significant role the Hampton Roads region plays in our nation’s freight network. In 2008, the amount of freight moved through the Port of Virginia increased nearly 50% over the last decade. The port handled over two million TEUs in 2008, but the future appears even brighter-- APM Terminals can double the existing cargo capacity of the region, and Phase I of Craney Island will add an additional capacity of 1.5 million TEUs by 2020.

View this presentation in a new browser window; click on "Full" to view full screen; click on "Download" to download the presentation to your own computer.

The region’s foresight in developing and supporting these critical transportation assets is vital to Virginia economic well-being, and cements Hampton Roads position as the prime beneficiary of the Panama Canal Expansion Project. When the project is completed in 2014, the canal will accommodate significantly larger vessels (up to 12,000 TEUs), and Hampton Roads will be home to the only ports on the East Coast than can handle these size ships.

But in order to move these goods from the ports to their final destination without overloading the region’s already choked highway system, Hampton Roads requires vibrant and efficient rail connections.

To that end, CSX has proposed the National Gateway, a public-private partnership which will create a state-of-the-art rail corridor linking Virginia’s international ports and population centers with the Midwest’s manufacturing centers through use of double-stack trains.

The National Gateway utilizes unlocks a second competitive double-stack route between Virginia and the Midwest and Southeast—additional rail capacity that will be essential to handle the increased freight volumes of the future and will prove critical to the ensuring the ports’ –and the Hampton Roads region’s--long term growth.

View this presentation in a new browser window; click on "Full" to view full screen; click on "Download" to download the presentation to your own computer.

The National Gateway will bring new construction jobs to our state and help businesses in Virginia be more competitive in the global economy. All told, Virginia will realize over $1.2 billion in public benefits from the National Gateway, including:

• Highway Relief: By creating an additional freight transportation option, the National Gateway will reduce traffic congestion and lower highway maintenance costs. One train can carry the load of more than 280 trucks, clearing space for over 1,100 cars. The National Gateway will shift the freight of nearly 5 million trucks off Virginia’s highways, thereby improving road safety and saving $106 million in highway maintenance costs.
  
  
• Environmental Benefits: Railroads are the most environmentally-friendly way to move goods on land. On average, railroads are three or more times more fuel efficient than alternatives. The National Gateway will use state-of-the-art green technology and improve the flow of freight by rail in Virginia, reducing fuel consumption by 58 million gallons and CO2 emissions by over 650,000 tons.
  
  
• Logistics Savings: By expanding rail access and providing new shipping options, the National Gateway is expected to reduce overall freight shipping costs on goods entering and leaving Virginia by over $690 million.

Under this public-private partnership, CSX has committed to spending $387 million out of the overall $774 million dollars needed to complete the National Gateway by 2015, with the balance being sought from state and federal governments, recognizing that every $1 of public funds invested yields $16 in public benefit.

So as we reflect this week on the integral position Virginia’s ports hold in our nation’s transportation system and the role they have played in the evolution of Hampton Roads, we should also look to ensuring future public policy decisions that will promote continued progress. Taxpayers and businesses should encourage their representatives to support deserving projects such as the National Gateway that will combine state and federal funds with private investment to stimulate our economy, reduce congestion, improve the environment and move the nation forward.

For more information or to support the effort, please visit www.NationalGateway.org.

We're ticketed for a dead end in the high-speed rail sweepstakes

WE DESERVE THE MAIN LINE

by Louis Guy, a retired civil engineer and President of the Norfolk Historical Society. Originally printed in The Virginian-Pilot. Contact him at LouisGuy@cox.net

High Speed Rail is the wave of the transportation future, and President Obama is pushing it forward. California is prepared to grab the opportunity with federal assistance. Where is Virginia? More important to Hampton Roads, are we once again bickering among ourselves and missing the boat?

It seems Hampton Roads is destined to be a cul-de-sac … again. That’s what happened to us with the Interstate Highway System in the 60s. Originally, Interstate 85 from Atlanta was aimed our way, but when it crossed into Virginia it was bent up to Petersburg, redirecting north-south traffic through Richmond.

Hampton Roads was left as a dead end on I-64.

Now the state has done it again, planning to run the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR) from Washington through Richmond and Petersburg direct to Raleigh, leaving Hampton Roads to twist slowly at the end of one limb or another.

A much better route would be from Petersburg to Suffolk to Raleigh, along existing rail lines. This could put Hampton Roads on the main line, where it would serve Virginia’s urban centers in the same way as does the proposed SEHSR main line in North Carolina: The plan is to bend its part of the main line down to Raleigh, up to Durham, across to Greensboro, and then down to Charlotte. In the past 50 years the Charlotte region has leapfrogged us economically. The Queen City’s position on the Interstate Highway main line is one of the reasons.

Hampton Roads must not be shunted aside by Virginia again.

By accepting the SEHSR plan approved in Richmond, we have been pushed into an inter-regional fight about which spur route we prefer to the dead end. Wake up. By wasting our energies arguing over which spur -- south (Norfolk Southern) or north (CSX) of the James River -- we are missing the point: Hampton Roads will still be a dead end.

Suffolk is part of the metro area. Light Rail is coming to the southside and can be expanded easily. The next crossing of the harbor can be designed to connect light rail with the Peninsula. We could connect all of Hampton Roads with light rail to to a high speed rail station in Suffolk.

The region needs new leaders who can think outside the old box. Isn’t the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) responsible for regional transportation planning in Hampton Roads? We have a world-class port and pre-eminent military facilities. Why settle for a second-class rail spur to the main line at Richmond? Virginia’s largest metropolitan area and its economic development potential deserve better.

The state's neglect of our region is a long-standing tradition. Almost 200 years ago, when railroads began to replace canals, Richmond and Petersburg successfully stymied connections to Hampton Roads, monopolizing their control of all trade from western Virginia. The first railroad to reach Hampton Roads connected Portsmouth to Weldon, NC, expanding trade routes with piedmont North Carolina and the Roanoke River valley. The Norfolk newspaper wrote editorials proposing that the region secede from Virginia and join North Carolina.

The right-of-way through Weldon could work again. If we will only surmount our differences within this region, we can have the clout to influence the outcome.

It’s time for the MPO to change its spots and break the pattern. The first priority must be to connect Hampton Roads connected to high-speed rail. The future depends on it.

For more on High Speed Rail: http://hrpartnership.blogspot.com/2009/04/high-speed-rail-in-hampton-roads-or-are.html

Click here for the website of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor. Shown on the homepage is a map of the approved South East High Speed Rail corridor in VA and NC. It shows how NC is zigzagging to accommodate its metro areas, but VA has given Hampton Roads only a planned dead end spur.

Another Point for Light Rail in Hampton Roads, from a citizen's perspective

by Russell Manning

I once read a comment on an article about our new light rail that said something to the effect that we shouldn’t compare ourselves to Charlotte, NC because it is not the same situation. I finally found the right statistic to refute that and to show why Hampton Roads is already doing better than Charlotte.

photo of Charlotte's Light Rail

Population:

• Hampton Roads = 1.65 (million)
• Charlotte MSA = 1.70 (million)

Population Density:

• Hampton Roads = 425 persons/sq. mile
• Charlotte MSA = 500 person/sq. mile

Now, you might be tempted to think that their higher population and density contributed to their having 181% of their first year projected ridership. I’m sure that has contributed to the large ridership, but consider this:

Total Commuters:

• Hampton Roads = 795,343
• Charlotte MSA = 801,778

Percent of Commuters using Public Transportation excluding Taxis:

• Hampton Roads = 1.86 (million)
• Charlotte MSA = 1.75 (million)

In other words, despite their larger population and larger number of commuters, Hampton Roads has a larger percentage of commuters using public transit. Charlotte also faced a large number of cost-overruns and delays and even a referendum to reject the half-cent transportation sales tax (tax funds mass transit in the region). The referendum would have essentially killed all future Charlotte Light Rail. Fortunately, despite a large amount of public outcry against the project, the referendum failed by 70%.

Hampton Roads can do this. Even more-so if the Beach gets on board. I do think that Norfolk needs to look at a larger parking deck for the Newtown Road Station. Charlotte’s end-of-the-line 1,120 space deck fills up by 8:15 AM.

Russell is a Political Science major at ODU, a Hampton Roads Magazine Top Ten Blogger at 757 Hampton Roads, and a Hampton Roads Partnership Intern.

High Speed Rail in Hampton Roads, or are we a cul-de-sac?

With the availability of more than $9.3 billion in federal stimulus money set aside for faster trains, the state is evaluating its rail options. Hampton Roads regional officials are pushing for high-speed passenger train service to Hampton Roads.

Mayor Paul Fraim has argued that the southern route makes better sense because the Southside has nearly 70% of the region’s population and a higher concentration of employment centers and military and port operations. The train could connect with Norfolk’s light rail line – now under construction – at a multi-modal center at Harbor Park. "It is the single most important transportation issue for the region's future," Fraim said.


Newport News Mayor Joe Frank has said, "I'd like to see if we can get high-speed rail to both the Peninsula and Southside," Frank said. "We need to do that cooperatively, so it's not an either-or kind of approach."

Leaving Hampton Roads out of a high-speed rail network, officials say, would further isolate Hampton Roads, possibly dealing a serious blow to the region's economy. The region was bypassed by the interstate highway system when the Virginia sections of Interstates 95 and 85 were built. But because the region is divided by water, serving both the Peninsula and South Hampton Roads may be prohibitively expensive.

"That's going to be a tough vote for the region," said Dana Dickens, President and CEO of the Hampton Roads Partnership. "And it very likely could generate some difficult positions for people."

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT ) is working on a study of the alternatives for connecting Hampton Roads to Richmond and the rest of the nation via higher-speed rail (maximum speeds of 90 mph). A draft should be available by summer, after which public hearings would be scheduled.


State officials have said that before high-speed rail comes to Hampton Roads, the Washington, D.C.-to-Richmond segment must be completed. From Richmond, the rail could go south to North Carolina or east to Hampton Roads, or both.

"If it goes to North Carolina without coming to Hampton Roads, that would be a real blow to us," the Partnership's Dickens said. "It's going to be incumbent on all the 1.6 million people of Hampton Roads and the elected officials to get behind whatever the decision is on a preferred route so we do get service."

Excerpts from The Virginian-Pilot, Debbie Messina, reporter.
Graphics from DRPT.

A citizen speaks: WE WANT MASS TRANSIT AS A SOLUTION

by Troi Lewis, a public transit evangelist, City of Hampton resident and frequent online commenter and forum participant; Troi is looking forward to the day when he can use public transportation all the time.

Currently, we need to realize a cost effective alternative to the transportation issue. While it is true that new tunnels and roads are needed, it is still in our best interest to implement mass transit. If you don't agree, please consider the following: Whatever decision is made, it has to be paid for somehow.

I say this because there are concerns as to the cost of the starter light rail (LRT) line in Norfolk. There's also concern about Virginia Beach’s purchase of the remainder of the Norfolk Southern (NS) line to eventually bring LRT to the Beach. But the truth of the matter is: it's the start to an alternative.



Notice that it's called a "starter line". It's not called the "only line", or "Norfolk's exclusive-customized-one-of-a-kind-light rail line; it's called a "starter line". It's the beginning to a light rail system that could stretch all over Hampton Roads and beyond. You probably would also say: This doesn't seem cost effective.

On the contrary, compared to what a new tunnel or crossing would cost, piecing together a light rail system with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Street Car systems would be a lot less. No matter the cost, we need something that would bring a lot more to the table then just more tunnels and more roads.

If you look at TOD (Transit Oriented Development) as something that only feeds the developers’ pockets, you’re not looking at the big picture. Look at the convenience of having some form of rapid transit within walking distance of where you live, work, shop, school, etc. While interstates and expressways are good for business and those close to them, they don't bring property value up like rail or rapid transit does.

There's also a very large financial return that comes from TODs. This could help fund other transportation projects.

You also need to think about the environmental effect this can have, specifically on our health. Think of your children and your other loved ones that have asthma, allergies, or any other forms of respiratory problems.

So I say to you Hampton Roads: Support your city and their decision to bring mass transit (whatever the form) to the region. This will be supporting all of Hampton Roads.

The General Assembly (GA) is not providing solutions. The MPO has worked on bringing a solution to the traffic and travel time through this Plan: www.HamptonRoadsTransitPlan.com



Again, many of the cities are already working on implementing these ideas. So it's going to take all of Hampton Roads to come together to make this into a reality. For those of you who agree on these ideas, please, PLEASE show that you are in support of what's being planned. This way the GA will see that something like this needs to be funded and not put on the back burner like it has been for the past 20 years. I, myself, would rather pay taxes for something that I know can actually bring benefit and make a change, then for something that will be outdated before it's even finished.

So, in closing, we have to put our voices together on this one and tell the GA: WE WANT MASS TRANSIT AS A SOLUTION!!!!

Senator Jim Webb’s 2008 Annual Report for Virginia

Addressing the Commonwealth's Transportation Needs

There is no question that traffic is a quality of life issue and a potential obstacle to economic growth. In last year's transportation bill, we were able to secure more than $61 million in appropriations for community development grants, Amtrak, and transportation projects in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. This bill allocates crucial funds to ease severe congestion throughout the Commonwealth, including improvements to interchanges affected by increased Army presence at Fort Belvoir, Dulles Rail Extension, and Norfolk light rail.

For the complete Report, visit webb.senate.gov.

Transit Vision Plan's Public Presentation

Scroll through this presentation for Vision Maps to see how this long-range plan affects your future, your life, your work, your mobility:

Transit Vision Plan for Hampton Roads with Maps

View this presentation in a new browser window; click on "Full" to view full screen; click on "Download" to download the presentation to your own computer.

The Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization (HRMPO) is undertaking an effort to develop a regional vision of public transportation, indicating the combination of transit services and land use intensity best suited for the region. The basic premise of this study is that public transportation provides a mobility option valuable to the individuals who use it and beneficial to the whole community as part of its economic infrastructure. Route-based public transportation services are generally financially feasible where they connect high activity locations.

This plan is being conducted at the request of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and will be used as input into the Hampton Roads component of the Virginia 2035 Statewide Transit Plan.

Authored by the consultant team of HNTB Corporation, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., RLS and Associates Inc., and Travesky & Associates Ltd. with cooperation from staff from the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization, funding from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and sponsorship by the Hampton Roads Partnership.

More on the Transit Vision Plan plus a link to the complete Draft Plan.

Want more? More Mobility Options?

“I want more high quality, safe, efficient and environmentally friendly public transportation services in Hampton Roads.”

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) has started an online petition for voicing your support for more public transportation in Hampton Roads. Take a minute to complete the “I Want More” petition here online. Just click on the photo above or visit http://www.gohrt.com/iwantmore/iwantmore.html.

HRT's mission is “to serve the community through high quality, safe, efficient and environmentally friendly regional transportation services,” and they can accomplish this mission only through public support and partnership between citizens, HRT, and local, state and federal government stakeholders.

Be heard.

Just think what you could save with Public Transit

People who opt for public transportation over driving in metro areas can save big bucks according to a new report by the American Public Transportation Association.

Nationally, leaving your car at home can save you up to $12,428 a year, if you have a public transit system. Here's how the annual savings numbers break down around the country:

1. Boston -- $12,428
2. New York -- $12,390
3. San Francisco -- $11,516
4. Chicago -- $10,497
5. Philadelphia -- $10,333
6. Seattle -- $10,274
7. Honolulu -- $10,033
8. D.C. -- $9,530
9. San Diego -- $9,268
10. Minneapolis -- $9,198

Calculate how much you can save with the APTA's Calculator.

Ever wonder how a tunnel waterway is built?

The proposed project for the Midtown Tunnel between Norfolk and Portsmouth is comprised of a new two-lane tunnel under the Elizabeth River parallel to the existing Midtown Tunnel.

Other components of the project include maintenance and safety improvements to the existing Midtown Tunnel; minor modifications to the interchange at Brambleton Avenue/Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk; maintenance and safety improvements to the existing Downtown Tunnel; and extending the MLK from London Boulevard to Interstate 264 (I-264), with an interchange at High Street.

Downtown Tunnel / Midtown Tunnel/ MLK Extension Video Link

Thank you for an alert reader's email to us! HRP apologizes for the inconvenience; the original VDOT YouTube video had been removed. VDOT's YouTube Channel worked on the problem and has re-issued the video you see above.

Citizens have the ultimate influence, with their votes

There's a friendly debate going on amongst the region's bloggers about "influence" regarding Hampton Roads' transportation woes:


"i just wish GA will stop opposing each other long enough to realize that this is hurting transportation wise. if the entire state doesn’t want to pay for them, then let them pass a law that uses taxes on a regional level....the HRP can have an influence on the GA. SOMETHING needs to be done."

This response was from the Partnership staff:

The Hampton Roads Partnership (HRP) has worked hard to influence for many years (since 1996).

We were responsible for getting the bill passed that allowed the 2002 referendum. The public campaign was done by an outside organization (not by HRP) and was, shall we say, less than successful. MOVE Hampton Roads hired the lobby firm that many say facilitated the compromises among General Assembly (GA) members that led to passage of HB 3202 (which authorized NoVA and Hampton Roads to raise revenue through regional authorities, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority respectively).

Ugly as it was, HB 3202 was to provide money for transportation, that is, until amendments were added that made it unconstitutional. Del. Glenn Oder's 2009 bill, HB 1580, abolished the HRTA, unanimously passing both the House and the Senate. (Ref: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?091+cab+SC10213HB1580+HB1REF)

What’s the next step?

At this point, “influence” needs to be directed at state-wide and GA candidates for November elections. What’s missing now is influence from the public. The public needs to get engaged in this debate. Polls showing 70% support is what caused the 2009 restaurant smoking bill to pass. That same groundswell has to happen for transportation before the GA will vote for new funding options.

Fear of losing their seats in November will get the GA moving on transportation funding. And, that has to happen with folks like you getting engaged to change the public’s opinion and, thus, the polls.

Could you or Russell or other members of HRT’s User Citizen’s Advisory Committee help? If you write a post on this very subject, we'll be happy to publish on the HRP Blog: SmartRegion.org.

Mayor Fraim says, “This is a crisis of the first order …”

Photo by City of Norfolk

Highlights of Mayor Paul D. Fraim’s State of the City address made on February 6, 2009 at the Marriott Waterside:

Norfolk faces a budget deficit of up to $10 million this year and more than $40 million in the next fiscal year. While there is bad news, there are many new, large construction projects in play.

New construction in Norfolk, from light rail to the $170 million Wachovia Center office tower to four large apartment projects, will total $1.1 billion in 2009. Additionally, new building projects will, hopefully, soon start on the campuses of Old Dominion, Norfolk State and Eastern Virginia Medical School as well as the 26-story downtown Westin Hotel and convention center. Few cities our size have this amount of construction in play to keep people working, to keep companies in business and put money back into the economy. This will serve as a bridge until nationwide recovery begins.

Of high importance is the General Assembly’s refusal to provide revenue for transportation improvements in all of Hampton Roads. We have a regional plan approved by the Metropolitan Planning Organization, but no funding.

For decades, Virginia has distributed funds for the construction and improvement of roads in its cities through a defined urban allocation program. This is the primary source of money for Norfolk to improve local roads, and it is dwindling. The allocation to Norfolk, which was $14.7 million in 1996, shrank to $5.8 million dollars this year and will drop to less than $3.5 million dollars next year. VDOT is now advising Virginia cities there will be no urban allocation at all as soon as 2010.

Not only is there no money for a regional transportation network, soon there will be none for local roads within Norfolk and every other city in Virginia. There will be no money for congestion relief, no money for economic expansion and only a few dollars for pot holes.

This is a crisis of the first order and must be addressed as a serious problem by state lawmakers. The free flow of commerce is key to our economic prosperity. With over 200,000 jobs in the city, nearly half are filled by commuters. If we accomplish nothing else, we MUST find a solution to the transportation funding gridlock.

State aid also comprises 41% of Norfolk’s general fund, paying for basic services like schools, public safety, road maintenance, social services and support for constitutional offices. More than $5 million in state aid reductions will need to be absorbed in Norfolk’s operating budget in the current fiscal year and another $22.5 million in next year’s budget due to the state’s budget shortfall.

Approximately 75% of the budget is related to personnel cost. Some downsizing of the workforce can be expected as well as the continuation of the current hiring freeze.

The region’s economy is projected to outperform the State and national economies in 2009. And, the historically insulating effect of the military and the Port should keep recession at bay. Defense spending rose 4.5 to 4.9% over the last two years, and this year it’s expected to increase by another 4.5%.

Hampton Roads was one of only seven large U.S. metropolitan areas adding jobs in 2008. Our workforce grew by nearly 1.5%, leading Northern Virginia in job growth as a percentage of the workforce. Source: U.S. Labor Department.

Other new work includes the consolidated courts complex and a new $50 million central library (will be the most technologically advanced library in the country).

Revenues are down at the Port for the first time in 30 years and falling cargo volumes has delayed the start of construction of Craney Island.

We’ve hired a Manager of Environmental Protection Programs to lead efforts to incorporate sustainability into municipal operations, and new city buildings are being designed to meet industry standards for green building.

Norfolk’s downtown has come a long way since 1980 resulting in new office buildings, new hotels and educational assets , new retail and residential development , a growing tax base valued at $1.6 billion generating $18 million annually in revenue.

Last year, Norfolk experienced our highest hotel revenues ever (approximately $105 million).

The Tide (light rail) will begin service next year with downtown access greatly improved and new development will occur around transit stops.

Ghent will see the completion of “201 at 21,” a $41 million development of 212 apartment units, 15,000-plus square feet of retail and parking.

Much community redevelopment is going on in the city, but there is still more to do – the crime rate needs to be lower, homeownership rates need to be higher and code enforcement better. City council has approved a Youth Violence Prevention Initiative led by a Task Force that will include citizen representation; the effort will take a comprehensive approach emphasizing prevention, intervention and suppression. City-wide, the violent crime rate remained flat. And we were all gratified that the murder rate dropped 42%.

Real progress continues at this three-year juncture into Norfolk’s ten-year plan to end homelessness. Families account for 20% of our homeless population, a number as high as 40% elsewhere in the region. In answer, the Faith Partnership, has been launched, an initiative to help support homeless families as they move from crisis to self-sufficiency by drawing on the talent and experience in the faith community. To date, 11 congregations have signed on as partners. This year our hope is to more closely involve our business community in this effort.

Secondary Education:
Last year, a $4.7 million grant from the Norfolk Foundation allowed Smart Beginnings South Hampton Roads to launch school readiness plans in Norfolk and four neighboring cities to help children start school ready to learn. Student achievement continues to improve. 44 of Norfolk’s 49 public schools have earned full SOL accreditation – that’s 90%. All five high schools are fully accredited, all but one of the division’s elementary schools and 5 of the 9 middle schools. There is work underway to bring them into compliance.

Educational accolades and awards:
• Newsweek Magazine ranked Granby and Maury in the top 5% of public high schools for the 2nd year.
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation cited Granby H.S. as one of three schools nationwide providing high-level math classes to help prepare students to be college and career-ready.
• U. S. Department of Education named Ocean View Elementary as one of 11 schools in Virginia (only school in Hampton Roads) a 2008 “No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School. “
• Terrel H. Bell Award for School Leadership went to Ocean View’s principal, Lauren Campsen, one of only five principals from 320 Blue Ribbon schools.
• “No Child Left Behind American Star of Teaching Award” from the U. S. Department of Education went to Booker T. Washington High School teacher Shameka Hardy, one of only 51 educators to be honored.
• Virginia Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence went to Poplar Hall Elementary, Willoughby Elementary and the School of International Studies at Meadowbrook.

Higher Education:
The Downtown Norfolk campus of Tidewater Community College (with an enrollment increase of 13+% last year) is growing with a $17.6 million student center building starting in the spring.
Eastern Virginia Medical School marked its 35th anniversary in 2008 and is moving forward on a state-of-the-art education and research building, allowing enrollment to grow nearly 30% to help meet the demand.

At ODU’s Innovation Research Park, a $27.8 million student fitness center has just opened, and construction is underway on the second building. A new student counseling center and improvements to the university’s arts center are in the planning stage.

Norfolk State University is scheduled to break ground for a $47 million library and a $28 million student center. Planning for a new nursing building is presently underway while a state-of-the-art police headquarters opened over the summer.

U.S. News and World Report named Virginia Wesleyan one of the country’s best liberal arts colleges and the Princeton Review labeled VWU the Best Southeastern College.

“It is the strength of your commitment that energizes me and my fellow city council members and that makes it a privilege to serve you,” ended Mayor Fraim.

The full text of Mayor Fraim’s speech may be found on the City of Norfolk’s website: http://www.norfolk.gov/City_Hall/soc/2009/2009.pdf

It’s Not the End of the Line, It’s the Beginning

Comment by HRP Guest Blogger Matt Simons, a Masters in Public Administration graduate student at ODU and a student of urban planning.

Re: Virginian-Pilot editorial of 2/27/09 entitled “It's the end of the line for rail negotiations” concerning the history of negotiations of the Norfolk Southern (NS) right-of-way. In the coming weeks, Virginia Beach city council will be forced to make a decision as to the best and most appropriate means of acquiring the old Norfolk Southern (NS) right-of-way. This is a rail line which extends from Newtown Road to the oceanfront, the planned future route for the Virginia Beach extension to Norfolk’s new light rail project.

NS is currently paying taxes on the rail line of an assessed value of $7.3 million. However, NS wishes to squeeze more than $40 million out of the Virginia Beach tax payers, by claiming their property is worth that amount.

To some Virginia Beach citizens, the light rail extension is viewed as a political tool for developers to make millions of dollars through the transit oriented development (TOD) which will surely follow. Many feel that their tax dollars are being used as a subsidy for development which they feel does not even affect them. This notion is not only negative to the perception of local politics, but also to the much needed light rail, which is becoming an unwarranted scapegoat for poor spending.

It is not a BAD thing for developers to want light rail, and they should rightly pursue what's in their best interest. However, the city council must make decisions in the best interest of all the tax payers. They don't just see the cost associated directly...but they also see that transit oriented development (TOD) will take a huge tax burden off home owners by diversifying the tax base (Virginia Beach is about 88% residential). In addition, the city council knows that light rail transit (LRT) works in accordance with the city’s future plans of “smart growth.” This involves concentrating growth within a city center to avoid suburban sprawl, which means less pressure will be put on the city council to one day extend the green line further into Pungo.

It is important to note that smart growth favors long-term regional considerations of sustainability over the short-term concerns associated with capital cost. If we do not fix the growing problem now, we will be faced with worse problems in the future. The hardest issue facing the media now? Stressing the importance of correctly informing the public on the problem.

Transportation is the most obvious, and light rail will one day work within the context of a larger network of infrastructure, to perform viably to be a true alternative for commuting within the region. Additionally, the problem is also growth management. And for the planners and city council, they see light rail a way to preserve what little green space we have left to balance out our economic concerns with the ecological needs for future generations. There is also a push to attract more commercial business in order to take a tax burden off the home owners, as well as give the residents more employment opportunities within their own city.

Together light rail and smart growth can preserve a sustainable Hampton Roads and allow adequate mobility for its residents which will allow for a more workable growth model for all its citizens.

It's the end of the line for rail negotiations The Virginian-Pilot © Editorial February 27, 2009

Norfolk Southern Corp. has a preliminary agreement to sell its right of way for a light rail line between Norfolk and Virginia Beach's Oceanfront. An appraiser chosen by the rail company and the regional transportation board will determine the property's worth.

September 1996 - Buying Norfolk Southern's 11-mile right of way is a top priority and needs to happen quickly, the Virginia Beach City Council says. The rail company says the property is worth $40.6 million.

August 2003 - The City Council agrees to explore the asking price for Norfolk Southern's right of way, reigniting discussions from August 2006, when Virginia Beach said the line was worth $4.5 million.

December 2007 - The City Council said it would spend $10 million to buy the Norfolk Southern right of way, the likely route for a light rail project, and has asked for $20 million from the state. The rail company said the property was appraised for $50 million in 2008.

January 2009 - A city appraisal of the right of way determined it's worth about $6 million. Norfolk Southern wants $40 million.

February 2009 - Same song, umpteenth verse.

Years after Virginia Beach officials agreed that the city's transportation future was tied to the 66-foot-wide rail path between Norfolk and the resort area, we're still hearing the same tune.
The city and Norfolk Southern are far apart on a fair price for the land.

The rail company wants $3.8 million per mile - about $40 million - for the 10.6-mile swath. The land is valued at $7.3 million for tax purposes. By comparison, Norfolk is paying $1.5 million per mile - the fair market value as determined by the state in 2003 - for its 4.8 miles.

Granted, the straight east-west path from the Norfolk border to the convention center is worth more. It runs parallel to, and just north of, Interstate 264, past Town Center and Hilltop.

More than a dozen years ago, according to an agreement between Norfolk Southern and the Tidewater Transportation District Commission, the price for the right of way was to be determined after an appraisal by a real estate agent selected by both parties, at a cost of $100,000.

In 2007, shortly after Norfolk Southern abandoned the line, Virginia Beach authorized its city manager to negotiate a purchase or begin condemnation proceedings.

It's starting to look like Norfolk Southern simply doesn't want to sell. If that's the case, Virginia Beach needs to begin seriously considering its alternatives, including condemnation.

If the rail company is ready to deal, its negotiators need to be locked in a room with Virginia Beach's leaders. Nobody should be allowed out until they've agreed on a fair price.

It's way past time for the fat lady to appear.

Private sector proposals to beat gridlock

Click on the picture for a full view of the Project.

Dana Dickens, Hampton Roads Partnership (HRP) President/CEO and Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) member, chairs a 15-member independent review panel (including citizens, government officials and other organizational representatives) which will examine a private-sector proposal to expand the Midtown Tunnel, build the Martin Luther King Freeway Extension in Portsmouth and improve the Downtown Tunnel.

This is a $2 billion private sector proposal by Elizabeth River Crossings, LLC, led by Swedish construction giant Skanska and Macquarie Financial Holdings Limited, which proposes to construct, operate and maintain these thoroughfares for 50 years.

Input will be sought from localities and the public prior to evaluation and recommendation of the proposal. For more information about the process or to read the proposal, visit www.midtowntunnel.org.

Is ‘Shovel-Ready’ Ready Enough?

Comment by HRP Guest Blogger Matt Simons, a Masters in Public Administration graduate student at ODU and a student of urban planning.

I definitely agree with David Boyd's article on "shovel-ready." The need to streamline the infrastructure process will hopefully come to fruition through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which includes a major round of infrastructure improvements. My hope is for this act to become an historic moment in our culture with hundreds of vital infrastructure improvements/investment to occur which our nation will hopefully depend upon for decades. Unlike Eisenhower's National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, this Obama Act can lead the nation into a safer, more energy efficient and less environmentally impacting culture of mobility.

This new vision includes a new rail transit infrastructure network to work within existing cities and to encourage interconnectivity between neighboring cities. To many, this seems unrealistic, or un-American. But lessons can be learned from Western Europe and their use of high-speed rail and mass transit. Lessons can also be learned right here in America from the Northeast corridor which extends currently between Norfolk and Boston. It is the busiest passenger rail line in the United States in ridership and service frequency. A rather unknown aspect of this infrastructure is that the line is fully electrified between Washington D.C. and Boston and delivers high-speed trips daily at speeds reaching 150 mph.

This provides a viable alternative to the preferred American method of travel on the interstate highway. With such high speeds along exclusive right-of-ways, this method of mobility proves to be much safer than driving and indeed faster as well. In addition, with many American cities, Hampton Roads included, investing in connected mass transit infrastructure, rail transit can soon be seen as a complete answer to a traveler's route between cites.

This new method of thought is not considered a replacement for the now accustomed means of intercity transportation. But instead this is simply meant to compliment and provide a safe, viable alternative to transportation, particularly for single passenger trips. Many of these projects, both regionally and nationally, have been planned for decades. As we have discovered recently with HRT's vision for the future, many are currently "shovel ready" should the implementation process be streamlined.

Is ‘Shovel-Ready’ Ready Enough?

by David Boyd, dboyd@msa-ps.com 08 Feb 09 Citiwire.net

The recent frenzy surrounding the formulation of an economic stimulus package has injected a new phrase into the American lexicon — “shovel-ready.” The phrase’s current popularity traces back to statements by then-Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama during the presidential campaign, capped off by Obama’s pledge, a month after his election, to launch his economic stimulus plan with a bevy of “shovel-ready” projects.

But assuming Congress soon passes the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, can all its infrastructure projects be truly “shovel-ready” — 100 percent completed plans, requisite environmental review and permitting processes in hand, plus the real estate acquired and prepared for construction? Probably not.

But we’re not without knowledge or capacity — if we use it — to fast-track the projects we need to bolster the economy and start putting people back to work quickly. Indeed, we’ve done it — and quite well — in a number of high-profile recent cases.

In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina knocked out the U.S. Highway bridge that connected Bay St. Louis and Henderson Point, Miss., the state transportation department reacted by issuing its very first “design-build” contract. The demolition of the old bridge and construction of the new 2.1-mile span was completed in 20 months, the project coming in under budget and ahead of schedule. In 2008, this $267 million project received the American Association of State Highway &Transportation Officials “People’s Choice” award.

In August 2007, when the I-35 Mississippi River Bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, taking 13 peoples’ lives, the city and Minnesota Department of Transportation were faced with a monumental task of recovery, debris removal, and the reconstruction of a critical transportation facility that carried over 140,000 vehicles per day. The transportation department moved quickly, however, to select a design-build team of professionals with a track record in bridge design, aesthetics, construction schedule and cost. By pursuing an aggressive accelerated schedule, with early completion incentives for the contractors, construction was completed in just over ten months from its inception.

Last June, spring floods wreaked havoc throughout the Midwest. Rains caused a breach of Lake Delton, in the Wisconsin Dells, one of state’s top tourism destinations. Even as television cameras captured images of several homes being washed away, local and state officials were pledging to restore the lake as soon as possible. Governor Jim Doyle quickly appointed his secretaries of the department of transportation and department of natural resources to work with local officials to design, permit, and construct the necessary repairs. The result: the necessary roadway and dam repairs were completed in under six months. The lake has refilled and will be ready for the 2009 season, restoring the economic vitality to many area businesses — small and large.

While these projects are all just a bit different from each other, there are some lessons that might be applied to projects fast-tracked under the federal economic stimulus package:

First — decisive leadership and clear direction from the top makes a difference. It creates a sense of unity and necessity which can have dramatic effect. By directing agency staff and channeling resources, chief executives convey the message of urgency, creating a mindset that “we’re all on the same side,” overcoming the petty turf wars that can plague any infrastructure project.

Second — the spirit of collaboration and a “must do” attitude that starts at the top can work its way down through the ranks to everyone involved in the process. In the Lake Delton story, this was apparent in design review meetings, where those charged with regulatory review worked side by side with the designers and contractors to make necessary project modifications in “real time.” It was also true on the construction site, where contractors from different firms collaborated with each other and the design staff to make the hundreds of daily decisions needed to expedite the project without sacrificing quality.

The United States has deferred and neglected our way to a staggering infrastructure deficit — $2.2 trillion worth over the next five years according to the American Society of Civil Engineers 2009 Infrastructure Report Card. According to the report, our country’s systems earned a “D” overall.

Yet it’s a bad idea — even in the name of economic stimulus or infrastructure renewal — to neglect environmental concerns by short-circuiting review processes. Instead, we need to find ways to streamline processes to meet accelerated time schedules, select projects with a realistic eye to their need as well as “shovel-ready” status, and then attack design, review and final permitting at all deliberate speed — as if it really matters, because it does.

The stimulus bill should be our generation’s equivalent to FDR’s Works Progress Administration, or to Ike’s National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, with the significant lift they gave our national economy and quality of life in great public buildings, parks, roads and bridges. Why shouldn’t we be as nimble, efficient and collaborative as they were?

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Attending the Transit Vision Plan Public Meeting

Click on map for larger view by Missy Schmidt, Communication Manager, Hampton Roads Partnership, Missy@HRP.org

I attended the early Transit Vision Plan (TVP) public meeting last night in Norfolk. One of the TVP consultants, Travesky & Associates Ltd., presented a slide show highlighting the maps and route corridors, improvements and integration methods.

This TVP is an evolutionary plan, with enhancements happening over many years. To be successful as a region in the future, the TVP promotes and predicts more compact mixed use development along corridors of transit. It encourages employment, housing and other activity centers to locate along these corridors as well to be more efficient.

It looks at an integrated system of transit services: bus, shuttle, ferry, light rail, street car, commuter rail, just about anything larger than a tandem bike that would take people out of their cars and off the highways.

Other benefits of the TVP are: redevelopment of aging commercial areas, links to activity centers from less dense areas of the region, designated park and ride areas, connection of activity centers during high demand/peak tourist periods, encouragement of pedestrian traffic, prevention of sprawling land patterns (i.e. better land use).

Approximately 30 citizens (six UCAC-HRT’s User Citizen Advisory Committee members among them), participated in break-out work groups after the consultant’s review. The break-out session facilitators asked these questions:

• Among the transit improvements proposed, what are your priorities?
• What are the benefits to the region of implementing the proposed transit improvements? Which benefits are most important to you?
• How would implementing the proposed transit improvements affect your ability or interest in using transit?

HRT-users sitting with me oohed and aahed over the foresight and thoughtfulness that went into the plan. There was a genuine, almost electric, feeling of collaboration and importance. Everyone likes to be heard. The more opportunity people are given to engage in meaningful, positive dialogue, the better.

The suggestions made by the work groups, reporting back to the full group after the break-outs, seemed very workable, i.e. using technology for access to “flex shuttles” within the Community Circulators routes, creating “Community Response Transit” routes, etc.

The usual questions were raised about funding sources and user-friendly issues such as accessibility, hours of operation, affordability, seamless transfers, frequency of service, ease of purchasing tickets, better shelters, etc.

However, overwhelmingly, I heard a different sentiment of “Just DO IT!” The need for “a regional transit authority,””working together as a region,” and to “stop bickering among localities as to who pays for what” was prevalent. “If we don’t act now, we’ll have DC-like traffic” was heard.

Not one person mentioned Economic Development as a reason for improving Public Transit last night.

To sum up the break-out reports, citizens care about getting where they need to go when they need to get there affordably, comfortably, conveniently, safely, securely and in a way that is environmentally-friendly.

Quality of Life, Freedom of Choice and Regional Cooperation were overwhelmingly the most important benefits mentioned. Yes, Economic Development is a beneficial by-product of focusing on these issues, but it was not the citizens’ focus.

You still have until March 13th to comment on the Transit Vision Plan: http://hrpartnership.blogspot.com/2009/02/transit-vision-for-hampton-roads-region.html

China's infrastructure programs

China's infrastructure programs give a whole new meaning to "bailout" and "shovel ready."

In 2007, the U.S. lost its seat to the European Union as the world's largest economy. The EU's economy produced $14.4 trillion in goods and services, while U.S. GDP came in at $13.86 trillion. However, the U.S. still has the largest economy of any single country. The next largest is China, at $7 trillion.

Economists tell us that China should overtake the U.S. by 2025 to be the world’s largest economy and is anticipated to grow to about 130% the size of the U.S. by 2050.

In late 2008, China started to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on infrastructure projects, fearing that widespread joblessness could lead to social unrest.

Their stimulus plan, one of the world’s largest, promises to take China a great leap forward and brings the countryside to the same level as their modern coastal cities, priming China for a new level of global competition.

That same leap took the United States decades — and a world war — to build.

China is furiously pouring concrete and laying high-speed passenger, intercity and freight rail lines. Extra spending is being planned in practically every town, city and county across the country urging local and provincial governments to proceed with their projects because they are, in current U.S. lingo, “shovel ready.”

The combined national, provincial and local spending for economic stimulus promises to change the face of China, giving the country a world-class infrastructure for moving goods and people quickly, cheaply and reliably across great distances. Aside from transportation, most of the rest of China’s national stimulus program will be spent on airports, highways and environmental projects, particularly water treatment plants.

Conversely, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009 is allocating less than 5% of spending for the construction of highways, rail lines and mass transit programs. This was to be the first crucial step in a concerted effort to create and save 3 to 4 million jobs, jump-start our economy, and begin the process of transforming the U.S. for the 21st century.

To truly bring about economic stimulus, we must spend our monies wisely on infrastructure projects that keep us moving forward, not straggling behind and playing catch-up.

Read the full text of the January 23rd New York Times article, “China's Route Forward.”

TRANSIT VISION FOR THE HAMPTON ROADS REGION (draft)

For information on public meetings to be held in Hampton and Norfolk on February 24th, visit: www.HamptonRoadsTransitPlan.com

TRANSIT VISION FOR THE HAMPTON ROADS REGION
Hampton Roads is to be served by an efficient, sustainable, and integrated transit network of local buses, express buses, bus rapid transit, light rail transit, and commuter rail. Local buses serve neighborhoods and link riders to higher capacity transit corridors. The light rail system, the streetcars, and the bus rapid transit lines provide fast and reliable regional transit connections. Commuter rail carries workers across the longer distances from semi-rural residential areas to employment and activity centers in the region. As a result of its transit investments, the region continues to attract employers, residents, and visitors, and it continues to grow and foster economic development. However, this growth is compact – primarily targeted to mixed-use activity centers and high-capacity transit corridors – and better protects the region’s precious natural resources and environmentally sensitive areas. Ultimately, the region’s pattern of growth increases mobility, accessibility, and quality of life — allowing a parent to walk a child to school, step into a café for breakfast, then walk to the transit station for the morning’s commute.

Download the complete plan draft HERE.

Authored by the consultant team of HNTB Corporation, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., RLS and Associates Inc., and Travesky & Associates Ltd. with cooperation from staff from the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization, funding from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and sponsorship by the Hampton Roads Partnership.

The process to develop this integrated Transit Vision Plan was initiated by the Hampton Roads Partnership. Joining with the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization (HRMPO) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), a study was launched with the establishment of a Public Transportation Plan Technical Committee (PTPTC), made up of jurisdictional staff and representatives from the HRMPO, DRPT, Hampton Roads Transit, and the Hampton Roads Partnership.