SJ165: Interstate Route 81; Department of Transportation to address urgently needed improvements thereof.
Patrons-- Hanger, Bell, Deeds, Edwards, Herring, Obenshain, Potts, Puckett and Reynolds; Delegates: Landes, Lohr, Nutter, Saxman and Shuler
WHEREAS, in September 2002, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) solicited conceptual proposals from private entities to design, build, improve, maintain, and/or operate all or parts of Interstate Route 81 through Virginia; and
WHEREAS, in January 2003, VDOT received two conceptual proposals for the project from Fluor Virginia, Inc., and from STAR Solutions; and
WHEREAS, in March 2003, the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted to move both proposals to the next stage of review under the process provided for in the Public-Private Transportation Act (PPTA), and in September 2003, VDOT received detailed proposals from both groups; and
WHEREAS, these proposals have been submitted to affected local governments, an advisory panel has been created, and a public comment session was held; and
WHEREAS, in February 2004, the advisory panel recommended to the Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner that he enter into negotiations with STAR Solutions in connection with the Interstate Route 81 project; and
WHEREAS, in March 2004, the Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner directed VDOT to enter into negotiations with STAR Solutions as the potential operator for Interstate Route 81 improvements; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby request the Virginia Department of Transportation forthwith to halt all negotiations with STAR Solutions under the Public-Private Transportation Act for the construction of improvements to Interstate Route 81 in Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the General Assembly request that the Virginia Department of Transportation address urgently needed improvements to the Interstate Route 81 Corridor by expeditiously taking the following actions: (i) plan for and construct one additional northbound lane and one additional southbound lane on Interstate Route 81, with additional lanes as needed to accommodate higher traffic volumes in the vicinity of cities, towns, and employment centers and at other traffic choke points; (ii) direct federal highway construction aid available to Virginia under the recently passed SAFETEA-LU and other federal legislation to the construction of dedicated, nonseparated, nontoll truck-only lanes on Interstate Route 81, including, where appropriate, additional lanes to assist trucks in climbing steep grades; and (iii) plan and develop, with the cooperation of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, an east-west rail project that will have the effect of reducing the number of trucks traveling the Interstate Route 81 Corridor; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Clerk of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the Secretary of Transportation, the Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner, and the Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation in order that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly in this matter.