From Joe Turner, Editor of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission’s (HRPDC) HR Review and the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization’s (HRTPO) Crossings

This is it.

This is the final paper edition of Hampton Roads Review. As someone who in college participated in the transition of the student newspaper from cut and paste to on-screen computer layouts, it was evident then that a day would come when electronic communications would eclipse print. I just didn’t realize that I would be shepherding such a transition for a publication with a history that is as old as I am. It is an honor to do so, and I am confident that what we have planned for the future electronic Hampton Roads Review will do justice to this publication’s legacy.

In this last print issue, HRPDC staff continues to examine and provide a local view of issues that are receiving national attention. Regional efforts toward greater energy efficiency are discussed on Page four. Keeping with energy, there are discussions in Virginia regarding alternative energy sources, and it’s not offshore wind or drilling. An update on the potential of mining uranium in the Commonwealth is provided on Page eight.

‘Tis the Season; Hurricane Season, that is. Our Emergency Management planners are encouraging everyone to get prepared and participate in the upcoming National Preparedness Month, Page 11. In addition, our staff recently participated in a tabletop exercise for the region’s Chief Administrative Officers regarding decision making during a catastrophic event, using a Category 3 hurricane as the event, Page 12.

Click on HR Review cover graphic for a PDF file of the Summer 2010 issue.

Just as the HRPDC’s Hampton Roads Review ends its printed run, so too does CROSSINGS. While not as steeped in tradition, this publication has been well received and noted for the amount of information contained on its pages. The move to electronic format shouldn’t change that. If anything, it should provide the same information and more…with greater frequency.

As this is the final printed edition, HRTPO staff wanted to make it memorable and has stuffed this edition full of information. There are updates on the results of the most recent General Assembly’s action with regard to transportation, Page 18. Numerous hot topic items are also represented. Want to know what’s transpiring with regard to High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail. Check out Page 16. What about the Project Prioritization tool? It’s about to get its first use as part of the 2034 Long-Range Transportation Planning process, see Page 9.

In addition to the hot topics, staff continues to work more traditional items. Two corridor studies for roads in Suffolk were recently completed, Page 12. Staff has been researching regional land use planning initiatives across the US and outside the country in hopes of finding strategies that could aid in the development of a regional land use map for application in various modes of transportation planning in the Hampton Roads region, see Page 7. Finally, as it is hurricane season, staff has provided a reminder about evacuation routes should a hurricane threaten the region, see Page 13.

I’ll end my note with a final reminder to sign-up for our e-communications so you will not miss the first issue of the new electronic CROSSINGS (http://HRTPO.org) or the first issue of the new electronic Hampton Roads Review (sign up at http://HRPDCVA.gov).

As always, contact me with any comments or suggestions.

Click on Crossings cover graphic for a PDF of the Summer 2010 issue.

Save the Hampton Roads Film Office

Photo credit: Federal Transportation Administration

Subject: “On The Bus” – Accessing Opportunities through an effective Transportation System

With an anticipated turn-out of up to two hundred participants – a mix of public bus riders and advocates, EHR will launch a regional transportation campaign at this meeting in order to build partnerships with Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) and other transit organizations.

Empower Hampton Roads, a regional coalition of faith communities, is committed to working with all citizens of Hampton Roads to achieve equal access to a healthy and affordable lifestyle through active participation in the process of making communities more viable.  Having reliable and affordable transportation is essential to all residents in our cities.  Transportation is what connects a region and provides access to so many other essential aspects of life.  It is especially important to working class and low-income families.  For many folks who struggle daily with difficult circumstances, riding a public bus is their only affordable alternative.  They too have a continuous need to go to daily jobs, to medical appointments, to adult classes, to grocery stores, etc., and back home again. Everyone wants and needs a method of transportation that works for them. In short, it must be user friendly!

The Transportation Taskforce of EHR has worked since January 2010 to insure that the public bus system works for those who need it most. Photo credit: Michael Ragsdale, blogger at Ideas for Hampton Roads Transit

• Do bus routes currently go to major employment and shopping centers?
• Do buses run often enough, plus early and late enough?
• Do bus routes adequately serve low-income neighborhoods?
• Are current fares cost prohibitive?  Do buses arrive at stops on time as scheduled?
• Do buses reach all the typical places where people need to go?
• Are more stops needed on some routes?  Why is there no shelter at my bus stop?
• Do policies adequately support taking bicycles on buses?
• How will people’s voices be heard as plans are created and implemented?

The program will feature citizens fighting for better bus service and insisting upon participation in the decision-making process for what is built where – and for whom!  In other words, a basic moral question is:  Who benefits – or loses?

EHR asks the citizens of Hampton Roads to make a difference by taking the next steps:

1. Gather more stories: Talk with people in your church and neighborhood who ride buses.
2. Sign up bus riders and church members to come to this public event…and bring a friend!
3. Ask your pastor to announce this event during worship; announce it yourself everywhere.
4. Put announcements in church bulletins on Sundays – July 18.
5. Lastly, be sure to come to Hampton University on Thursday, July 22, 7:00 pm.

How we build our transportation system is a reflection of what we value. We are the people we have been waiting for!

For more information, visit http://EmpowerHR.org or contact event organizer, Angela Saxton at (757) 401-8398 or angelasax@yahoo.com.

“Regionalism” was the word at the first Hampton Roads Elected Official’s Regional Orientation meeting held on June 24 at the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission in Chesapeake.

Newly elected city council members met with local business leaders to discuss ways of taking a more regional approach to business-related affairs within each city.  This concept is the first region-wide, comprehensive economic development strategy of its kind, http://VisionHamptonRoads.com.

The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and various other regional organizations hosted the event.  A roundtable discussion took place with newly elected city council members from three of the seven cities.  Lonnie Craig, Suzy Kelly and Scott Matheson from Chesapeake, Will Moffett and Donnie Tuck from Hampton and Tommy Smigiel from Norfolk, were introduced to the goals and visions of various regional organizations, with the shared mission of fostering regional growth and prosperity.

Emphasis was placed on building relationships across jurisdictional boundaries and stronger engagement in regional issues.  The issues discussed included workforce development, transportation, military facilities and increasing the competitiveness of Hampton Roads in the global market.

Jack Hornbeck, CCE, President and CEO of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, introduced the Chamber’s role by saying, “We’re a little different than some of the other organizations here, but at the end of the day, we all share the same goal:  economic prosperity for Hampton Roads.”

Hornbeck described the various programs within the Chamber such as LEAD Hampton Roads (LHR) and the Hampton Roads Business Political Action Committee (HRBizPAC).  He also discussed the mission of the Chamber’s affiliates, the Small Business Development Center of Hampton Roads (SBDC) and the Hampton Roads Sports Commission (HRSC).

He noted the upcoming AAU Junior Olympic Games, set to take place from July 29 – August 7.  Produced by the HRSC, the amateur sporting event is estimated to have a regional economic impact close to $50 million, with an average attendance of 45,000.  While the events will take place in various cities, Hornbeck pointed out that, “The entire region will benefit from the positive economic impact.”

Hornbeck reiterated that the Chamber is, “A regional organization with a local focus able to mobilize the business community.”

Future meetings for this economic development strategy are planned.

Participating Organizations:

• Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce (HRCC)
• Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (HREDA)
• Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance (HRMFFA)
• Hampton Roads Partnership (HRP)
• Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC)
• Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO)
• Opportunity, Inc. (Opp-Inc)
• Peninsula Council for Workforce Development (PCFWD)
• Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce (VPCC)

Following the May 4 elections, these local City Council members took office July 1.

Chesapeake City Council:
Lonnie E. Craig
John M. de Triquet (incumbent)
Suzy H. Kelly
Scott W. Matheson
Ella P. Ward (incumbent)

Hampton City Council:
Will Moffett
Donnie Tuck
Chris Stuart

Newport News City Council:
Mayor – Dr. McKinley Price

Norfolk City Council:
Mayor – Paul D. Fraim (incumbent)
Anthony Burfoot (incumbent)
Andy A. Protogyrou
Paul R. Riddick (incumbent)
Tommy Smigiel, Jr.
Theresa W. Whibley (incumbent)

Portsmouth City Council:
Paige Cherry
Bill Moody Jr. (incumbent)
Marlene Randall (incumbent)

Williamsburg City Council:
Scott Foster
Doug Pons

This fall the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot will jointly deliver “Bridges Between Us” to the region, featuring the logic, lure and limits of interdependence in Hampton Roads.

Through the lives of real families living here in different communities of Hampton Roads, this special section will explore how we work, play, commute and how our economic fortunes are intertwined.

Hampton Roads is a community of 17 different localities, each with its own challenges and locally elected government. But is’ also a region that shares common challenges and opportunities, from our jammed roads and bridges to natural resources that have made us a port and military town. The importance of that inter-connection has long been controversial.

This special all-color, up to 48-page tabloid special section with glossy cover will be inserted into both papers on Sunday, September 19^th. It will reach over 700,000 adults in Hampton Roads, i.e. three-fourths of all adults in Hampton Roads.

Bridges have long been used to connect communities in Hampton Roads. And now “Bridges Between Us” will help connect citizens and infuse an awareness of the importance of our region and its Vision of the future.

For questions, call Orestes Baez at (757) 247-4671 or email at obaez@dailypress.com.

This year’s issue features the City of Hampton’s 400th Anniversary celebration, a quick start guide for new arrivals to the region and nine fully updated Business Section pages on “Regional Vision, Global Impact” revolving around economic development, employment opportunities and transportation (see pages 46-54).

Hampton Roads is one of the best places to raise a family. It’s good for business, too. If you want to learn more, click on the cover page for a down-loadable copy. Or, to order your full-color, glossy “coffee table copy,” visit Darden Publishing at http://DardenPublishing.net.

Comments and updated data sources are always welcome. Please contact this year’s Associate Editor for the Business Section:  Missy Schmidt at Missy@HRP.org.

Envision Transportation:

The Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE), in partnership with the City of Virginia Beach has started a new public conversation about transportation possibilities and their far-reaching impacts.

This year-long project combines the power of visual imagery, new means of information distribution, and the extraordinary value of involving the community in imagining its transportation future.

During the process, citizens will have opportunities to outline future choices and express their preferences.

Visit the website, Envision Transportation to:

• LEARN
  • About various modes of transportation – Bicycles, Light Rail, Bus Transit, Intercity Rail, Autos, Walkability, Low-speed vehicles;
  • About related consideration of transportation – Funding, Environment, Land Use, Special Needs, Transit Oriented Development, Culture;
  • About other cities and agencies – What best practices are being used by other cities? What are our local agencies and what do they do? and to
• PARTICIPATE
  • Join the forum – Dialogue with others regarding various transportation topics. These discussions will be used as part of the final report;
  • Post images and videos – Share your worst and best pictures and videos of transportation concerns;
  • Use transportation toolbox – Check out and use innovative web tools that are related to transportation issues;
  • Register for e-Notices – Keep informed of meetings and website updates regarding this project.

In late March (after nearly a year of work), excavators still were a few hundred feet from the south end of Norfolk Southern’s Big Sandy 1, a 2,627-foot railroad tunnel burrowed through a hill that sits along the Big Sandy River separating West Virginia from Kentucky.

Their task: to carve a higher clearance in the ceiling of the tunnel, making it big enough to handle rail cars loaded with cargo containers stacked two-high, doubling the railroad’s capacity and giving shippers more bang for their buck.

It is one of 28 tunnels that form the centerpiece of what Norfolk Southern calls “the Heartland Corridor,” a sort of Northwest Passage for double-stack rail traffic between Hampton Roads and the Midwest that will shave 230 miles and about a day of transit time from existing routes.

Combined with the port’s 50-foot channels and ready access to the open sea, it’s anticipated to have a magnetic effect on East Coast container traffic.

The Heartland Corridor Route; click on graphic from The Virginian-Pilot above for larger view.

The taller tunnels will make Hampton Roads “much more competitive with the other ports,” said Bob Billingsley, Norfolk Southern’s director of structural projects, who has been overseeing the tunnel work. “That’s the only reason we’re doing it. That’s what it’s all about.”

For the past three years, working in the wee hours to avoid disrupting rail traffic, Billingsley’s crews have been raising the roofs on tunnels in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky, enabling them to handle the 20-foot, 3 -inch-high container trains that have had to go around the mountains, through Pennsylvania and Tennessee, because the tunnels were too small.

The railroad plans to start running the double-stack trains in September.

“It’s the biggest engineering undertaking we’ve had in the last 100 years – one of the biggest in modern railroad history, anyway,” Billingsley said.

Each of the tunnels – 23 of them in West Virginia, four in Virginia and one in Kentucky – has presented a unique puzzle, a slightly different configuration of rock and soil. The tunnels, built around 1905, have stood at 19.5 feet from track to ceiling. They need to be an average of 1.5 feet taller, including a 9-inch cushion, to accommodate the double-stack trains.

In five tunnels, the answer was simple: lower the track bed. In five others, the crew cut “notches” where the walls met the ceilings, allowing enough room for the corners of the containers. In one case, a bypass was built to skip the tunnel altogether; in another, the tunnel requires more extensive work.

In Big Sandy 1, as in 15 other tunnels, it meant taking out “the whole crown of the tunnel, from about 9 to 3 on a clock,” Billingsley said. Work in this tunnel began with the boring of hundreds of investigatory holes into the overhead liner, removing core samples and inserting a tiny camera that took photos of the rock and soil superstructure to assess its condition. The excavator then went to work, pecking out the curved tunnel roof, chunks at a time.

It’s the end of the day for this worker at Big Sandy 4 in West Virginia. “From 2 a.m. until the sun comes up, you’re just fighting to stay awake,” says Michael Parham, 29, a civil engineer from Tennessee. Photo credit: David B. Hollingsworth, The Virginian-Pilot

A series of 13.5-foot supporting “rock bolts” were drilled into the exposed new “roof” before it was sprayed with quick-set concrete from a miniature concrete-plant-on-rails. The work has been tough, tedious and dangerous.

Every day they must clear the tracks before the coal and freight trains resume running, which explains the early hours.

While the tunnel work is the heart of the Heartland Corridor, there are two other components – one in Hampton Roads, another in Columbus, Ohio – all financed through a public-private partnership drawing on federal, state and railroad funds.

The local link involved relocating Commonwealth Railway’s line that connects Suffolk to APM Terminals in Portsmouth – and, eventually, Craney Island, where the port plans to build a fourth state cargo terminal. The line is being shifted from populated areas of Churchland and Western Branch to the medians of Interstate 664 and Virginia’s State Route 164.

As the Heartland Corridor project came together, a series of events in the global shipping industry dovetailed with it:

• Labor strife and congestion had been frustrating shippers into West Coast ports, prompting them to look for ways to diversify their transit options, including using East Coast ports; and
• Plans were announced for an expansion of the Panama Canal, to be completed in 2014, which will allow larger vessels to work the “all-water” route from Asia to ports such as Hampton Roads.

Industry experts agree the project is a positive development for the port but aren’t so sure it will change Hampton Roads’ competitive position with ports such as New York/New Jersey.

Shippers themselves – major importers such as Target, Wal-Mart and Home Depot – decide how and where to route their cargo through U.S. ports.

Shipping lines present importers with a menu of options that can include going through West Coast ports and railing goods to Chicago – which for Asian cargo offers the fastest transit time – or going the all-water route through the Panama Canal to East Coast ports for distribution by rail and truck. The Heartland Corridor will put another option on the table. Key factors in the decision are typically focused on transit time, price and, increasingly, “carbon footprint.”

It takes about 18 days to get goods from Hong Kong to Columbus, Ohio, via West Coast ports, said William Weng, director of intermodal shipping for Shanghai-based China Shipping.

Going through the Panama Canal to Norfolk and using the Heartland Corridor will take about a week longer, yet costs about $500 less per container, Weng said.

The decision comes down to time-sensitivity versus cost, he said. Goods such as computers, TVs, video games and some garments such as dresses are more time-sensitive, Weng said. Furniture, toys and household tools are not and would be candidates for the longer, cheaper route.

The Heartland Corridor’s improved link between two of the biggest transportation nodes in the nation – Hampton Roads and Columbus, Ohio – will give the port an edge as shippers continue to grow their mix of routing options.

Finishing the job means dealing with the unexpected. In Big Sandy 4, one of the last of the tunnels to be completed by early August , workers discovered an underground spring seeping 5 gallons of water a minute.

The biggest challenge has been operating within a tight 2 a.m.-to-noon window that allows two Norfolk Southern trains hauling time-sensitive freight for the United Parcel Service to stay on schedule. Even though the project is about speeding such freight through the mountains, progress is measured in feet.

Excerpts from an article by Robert McCabe, The Virginian-Pilot

These focus groups were conducted for the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) by the Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University with consultative work by the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE).

Executive Summary

The results of this series of six focus groups conducted among citizens of the Hampton Roads region of Southeastern Virginia provide interesting insight and feedback to The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, its municipal and state stakeholders, affiliates and others.

Hampton Roads citizens may not be able to agree about a lot of things. But one thing they all seem to agree on is that transportation is the region’s Achilles’ heel. Study participants drawn from all of the region’s cities and counties tell us that in the absence of any commonly acknowledged icon, cultural value or other point of regional connection, frustration over traffic congestion is the one thing they all have in common.

Hampton Roads residents taking part in this study believe that many elements in the region’s transportation infrastructure are broken and that they see little evidence that the region’s leaders are taking meaningful steps to either restore current transportation infrastructure or prepare for what they believe will only be more people, more density and more traffic volume in the future. Some have chosen to live in specific locations so that they can avoid the chronic areas of traffic congestion. But even those who live at the rural edges of the region believe the sprawl and traffic of the region’s busiest cities will eventually reach out to and surround them.

There was virtually no disagreement about this outlook among our study participants, regardless of their demographic, geographic, economic or political perspectives. There is similarly strong and consistent consensus about what needs to be done to improve this situation; namely, get cars off the road.

In the short-term, study participants believe the region needs to take whatever steps are necessary to restore current transportation facilities and, where needed, expand or build new roads, bridges and tunnels to resolve current bottlenecks. Concurrently, the region needs to begin developing a fully integrated regional light rail networked back up by feeder and distributor bus and shuttle services.

Study participants know that these are not simple tasks. But those who have lived elsewhere, particularly military personnel who have lived in Western Europe and in cities like Tokyo and Singapore, know that these tasks can be accomplished; that ambitious public works projects call for ambitious leaders and that regions characterized by challenging topography and water can indeed be tamed for transportation purposes.

It is also important to note that our study participants do not consider the foregoing tasks to be luxuries. They believe traffic congestion is stifling economic vitality and social and civic cohesion in the Hampton Roads region today, and that the lack of solid planning for ways to beat this challenge today will make Hampton Roads an even less appealing place to live and do business in the future.

The only real question is how to pay for transportation infrastructure improvements. This study identifies three critical issues related to study participants’ perceptions of transportation funding streams:
1. They have no idea of the magnitude of costs involved.
2. Their recommended funding streams fall well short of that necessary to make the improvements they believe are critical to the region’s vitality.
3. They are driven by a desire to transfer as much of the eventual cost of transportation infrastructure improvements to others—e.g. to facility users, tourists and commercial interests—as possible.

Study participants are not averse to consideration of new dedicated funding streams such as tolls, increased gasoline tax, “sin” and luxury taxes, and increased license and registration fees. They are also open to consideration of a state lottery dedicated to transportation and to the legalization of casino gambling if the proceeds can be dedicated to transportation. Beyond these, however, study participants were grabbing at straws. Their suggestions become more fragmented, more contrary to the traditional conservative values of Virginians and, in some cases, downright outlandish.

Study participants were of one consistent voice, however, with respect to their feelings about funding of transportation infrastructure improvements through an increase in the state income tax. Although some recognize that this might be the best way to place the least and most painless burden on Virginia taxpayers, most are also adamantly opposed to this method because they believe it would 1) make it easy for any such tax rate increase to remain in effect long after the original need has been fulfilled and 2) monies raised this way could easily become lost in the state budget or be diverted to other purposes for which they were not intended. The concept of a “lock box” or other method of guaranteeing that monies raised could only be spent on transportation was mentioned by several study participants in several different groups.

Trust in government or, to put it more accurately, the absence of trust in government is a huge issue for our study participants. Most believe there is an unacceptable level of waste, inefficiency and mismanagement in government. Until they believe otherwise, they say they are unwilling to increase their tax contributions.

To win their support to proceed with costly transportation infrastructure improvements, study participants believe the Hampton Roads region’s leaders need demonstrate regional consensus by creating a plan that reflects careful analysis of current conditions, serious study of other urbanized regions that have similar water and landmass configurations and realistic cost estimates and timetables. Once such a plan is developed, study participants believe it must be taken out into the community and presented to citizens so that they can provide elected leaders and others with the confidence they need to carry out the plan.

At present, however, more than a few of our study participants question the ability and predisposition of the region’s major cities to work together to create a plan or vision that speaks with a single, united voice.

The people who took part in this study believe the Hampton Roads region is blessed with abundant natural beauty and a rich history that deserves preservation. But they also believe that the future success of the region calls for strong, visionary regional leadership, solid planning, careful financial oversight and strong public support. If these conditions are met, study participants say the region will have every reason to be a competitive and appealing place to live and work in the future.

Download the complete HRTPO report.

Virginia faces a crisis in transportation.  It has been more than two decades since we meaningfully addressed this issue.  It is critical we make the investments in the infrastructure that will ensure our continued prosperity and the safety of our citizens.  The General Assembly must act during the upcoming session to avoid greater gridlock and continued congestion.

Consider these facts about our current situation:

• Approximately one-quarter of Virginia’s major roads are rated substandard or mediocre, including I-64 and I-664.
• Nearly 1,900 bridges in Virginia are structurally deficient, including the Kings Highway and Jordan Bridges in Hampton Roads.
• Beginning next year, there will be no funding for primary, secondary, urban or unpaved roads.
• Congestion and poor road conditions cost Virginia drivers more than $1,000 a year in lost time and auto repairs and 38 hours a year sitting in delays.

If we do not act, we will be unable to attract major employers, take advantage of public-private partnerships, lose millions of dollars in federal matching funds and face continued downsizing of the military in Hampton Roads.

Military leaders have expressed concerns that congestion on our roads is adversely affecting the readiness of their forces. We must not allow transportation to be responsible for closing another installation or removing a carrier from our region.

How can we break the deadlock that has characterized the transportation debate for years?  The House must be willing to accept an increase in the gas tax and user fees and the Senate must be willing to accept taking money from the General Fund to pay for transportation.  If we are serious about addressing this crisis, both the House and Senate must compromise and make the investments citizens demand.

To meet our maintenance needs, an additional $1.1 billion each year – $800 million for roads, $150 million for bridges and $200 million for bus and rail is needed.  It will take a combination of measures to generate the funds necessary to ensure our future prosperity.

I propose this solution to our transportation crisis.

The single largest funding source for funding transportation in Virginia is the gas tax, both federal and state.  The 17.5 cents per gallon state gas tax went into effect January 1987.  Today, its purchasing power is only 8 cents.  My plan reduces the gas tax from 17.5 cents per gallon to just 5 cents and adds a 5% sales tax on gasoline.   At the current price of gas ($2.50 per gallon), the two taxes would generate the same 17.5 cents we are currently paying.  Beginning in 2011, when the economy is stronger, the equivalent of 2 cents a gallon would be added to the gas tax, each year for five years.  If the sales tax generates the needed income without increasing the gas tax, then we forgo the 2 cents increase.  When fully implemented, this generates $500 million each year.  For the average driver, that 10 cents increase amounts to less than the cost of a Big Mac meal or one Starbucks coffee a month.

While this proposal will help in the short term, we need a more permanent solution.  By 2025, most cars will run on bio-fuels or electricity and be more energy efficient.  We must begin now to look for an alternative to the gas tax, such as a vehicle miles traveled tax.

To generate additional needed revenue, my proposal increases the Motor Vehicle Sales tax by half a percent a year, each year for four years beginning in 2011.  When fully implemented, this will generate $276 million yearly.

Currently one-half of one percent of the sales tax on auto parts is allocated to transportation.  Under my plan, the allocation goes from one-half to three percent of the sales tax on auto-related items.  This will generate an additional $162 million yearly.

During my campaign in 2007, I proposed tolling the interstates at the borders which would generate $100 million each year.  Governor McDonnell has also suggested this option.

The Governor has embraced using 30% of future port profits for transportation.  This proposal has been rejected in the Senate because it takes money from the General Fund which also pays for education, mental health and public safety.  If just 10% is taken, this will generate $100 million yearly and reduces the impact on other core services.

Governor McDonnell has also proposed using royalties from offshore oil drilling to help pay for transportation.  Since it has not yet been determined if we can drill offshore, or if there is oil off the coast, or how much, we cannot rely on this revenue source.  However, if we do drill and find oil and if there are royalties, I propose using them in lieu of General Fund revenues.

Under my plan, those who use the roads pay for them – including drivers from out of state.  The revenue sources are dedicated, sustainable, statewide and all related to transportation.  All revenue increases are delayed until 2011, when the economy will be stronger.     The plan fully funds our maintenance needs, enabling us to stop taking construction dollars to repair roads and allows us to build new projects – including increasing capacity at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.  It will also help fund mass transit and high speed rail initiatives.  It recognizes transportation as a core service of government – a service that is critical to job creation, quality of life and the safety of our citizens.

Imperative to this plan is that funds raised must be used for transportation and no other purpose.

Governor McDonnell can show effective leadership by convincing members of the House of Delegates to vote for investments in transportation.  Members of the Senate can show they are committed to solving the crisis by agreeing to use limited General Fund revenues for this core service of government.  When both houses of the legislature compromise, we can end the stalemate and do what the voters of Virginia expect us to do – solve the transportation funding crisis. We owe them no less.

Senator John Miller represents the 1^st Senatorial District.  He serves on the Senate Transportation Committee and is a member of the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, the National Conference of State Legislators Transportation Committee and the committee studying the Hampton Roads Transportation Network.