HB6019: Hampton Roads highway districts; requests for proposals or tolling of certain highway facilities.


HOUSE BILL NO. 6019
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the House Committee on Transportation
on June 24, 2008)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Hamilton)
A BILL to require the Virginia Department of Transportation to issue certain requests for proposals concerning, or itself directly impose and collect tolls for use of, certain highway facilities within the Hampton Roads highway construction district.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  § 1. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall forthwith seek to obtain from the federal government authorization for the imposition and collection of tolls for use of the following: (i) the Interstate Route 64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, (ii) the Interstate Route 664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, (iii) the Interstate Route 64 high rise bridge in the City of Chesapeake, and (iv) all HOV lanes within the Hampton Roads highway construction district that are converted to HOT lanes.

§ 2. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall forthwith either issue a request for proposals for a concession under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (§ 56-556 et seq. of the Code of Virginia) or itself directly impose and collect tolls with allowable congestion pricing for use of the Interstate Route 64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the Interstate Route 664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.  If the Department itself imposes and collects the tolls, all proceeds from tolls paid for use of the Interstate Route 64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel shall be used exclusively to maintain, improve, or increase the capacity of Interstate Route 64 between the Granby Street exit in the City of Norfolk and Exit 242 in James City County near the City of Williamsburg. All proceeds from tolls paid for use of the Interstate Route 664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel shall be used exclusively to maintain, improve, or increase the capacity in the Interstate Route 664 corridor between the Hampton Roads Coliseum and the Bowers Hill interchange in the City of Suffolk.

§ 3. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall forthwith either issue a request for proposals for a concession under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (§ 56-556 et seq. of the Code of Virginia) or itself directly impose and collect tolls with allowable congestion pricing for use of the Interstate Route 64 high rise bridge in the City of Chesapeake. If the Department itself imposes and collects the tolls, all proceeds from tolls paid for use of the Interstate Route 64 high rise bridge in the City of Chesapeake shall be used exclusively to maintain, improve, or increase the capacity of Interstate Route 64 corridor between the Exit 291 in the City of Chesapeake and the Bowers Hill interchange in the City of Suffolk.

§ 4. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall forthwith either issue a request for proposals for a concession under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (§ 56-556 et seq. of the Code of Virginia) or itself directly impose and collect tolls with allowable congestion pricing for use of any HOV lanes in the Hampton Roads highway construction district that are converted to HOT lanes. If the Department itself imposes and collects the tolls, all proceeds from tolls paid for use of the any HOV lanes in the Hampton Roads highway construction district that are converted to HOT lanes shall be used exclusively to maintain, improve, or increase the capacity of highways identified by the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization.

§ 5. In order to mitigate traffic congestion in the vicinity of the toll facilities, no facility for the use of which a toll is imposed and collected under the provisions of this act shall be operated without high-speed automated toll collection technology designed to allow motorists to travel through the toll facilities without stopping to make payments. Nothing in this act shall be construed to prohibit a toll facility from retaining means of non-automated toll collection in some lanes of the facility. The Board shall also consider traffic congestion and mitigation thereof and the impact on local traffic movement as factors in determining the location of the toll facilities authorized pursuant to this act.

§ 6. Except for facilities covered by a concession agreement entered into pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this act, all funds collected pursuant to this act shall be deposited into a special nonreverting fund knows as the Hampton Roads Transportation Trust Fund and used exclusively as provided in §§ 2, 3, and 4 of this act.  If, at any time, funds from the Fund are used for purposes other than those designed by §§ 2, 3, and 4 of this act, all tolls provided for in this act shall cease to be imposed and collected.

HOUSE BILL NO. 6019
Offered June 23, 2008
Prefiled June 23, 2008
A BILL to require the Virginia Department of Transportation to issue certain requests for proposals concerning, or itself directly impose and collect tolls for use of, certain highway facilities within the Hampton Roads highway construction district.
Patron-- Hamilton

Referred to Committee on Transportation

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  § 1. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall forthwith seek to obtain from the federal government authorization for the imposition and collection of tolls for use of the following: (i) the Interstate Route 64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, (ii) the Interstate Route 664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, (iii) the Interstate Route 64 high rise bridge in the City of Chesapeake, and (iv) all HOV lanes within the Hampton Roads highway construction district that are converted to HOT lanes.

§ 2. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall forthwith either issue a request for proposals for a concession under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (§ 56-556 et seq. of the Code of Virginia) or itself directly impose and collect tolls, not less than $2.00 in each direction, with allowable congestion pricing not to exceed a 50 percent increase between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for use of the Interstate Route 64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the Interstate Route 664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.  If the Department itself imposes and collects the tolls, all proceeds from tolls paid for use of the Interstate Route 64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel shall be used exclusively to maintain, improve, or increase the capacity of Interstate Route 64 between the Granby Street exit in the City of Norfolk and Exit 242 in James City County near the City of Williamsburg. All proceeds from tolls paid for use of the Interstate Route 664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel shall be used exclusively to maintain, improve, or increase the capacity in the Interstate Route 664 corridor between the Hampton Roads Coliseum and the Bowers Hill interchange in the City of Suffolk.

§ 3. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall forthwith either issue a request for proposals for a concession under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (§ 56-556 et seq. of the Code of Virginia) or itself directly impose and collect tolls, not less than $1.00 nor more than $2.00, in each direction, with allowable congestion pricing not to exceed a 50 percent increase between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for use of the Interstate Route 64 high rise bridge in the City of Chesapeake. If the Department itself imposes and collects the tolls, all proceeds from tolls paid for use of the Interstate Route 64 high rise bridge in the City of Chesapeake shall be used exclusively to maintain, improve, or increase the capacity of Interstate Route 64 corridor between the Exit 291 in the City of Chesapeake and the Bowers Hill interchange in the City of Suffolk.

§ 4. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall forthwith either issue a request for proposals for a concession under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (§ 56-556 et seq. of the Code of Virginia) or itself directly impose and collect tolls, not less than $1.00 nor more than $2.00, in each direction, with allowable congestion pricing not to exceed a 50 percent increase between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for use of any HOV lanes in the Hampton Roads highway construction district that are converted to HOT lanes. If the Department itself imposes and collects the tolls, all proceeds from tolls paid for use of the any HOV lanes in the Hampton Roads highway construction district that are converted to HOT lanes shall be used exclusively to maintain, improve, or increase the capacity of highways identified by the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization.

§ 5. In order to mitigate traffic congestion in the vicinity of the toll facilities, no facility for the use of which a toll is imposed and collected under the provisions of this act shall be operated without high-speed automated toll collection technology designed to allow motorists to travel through the toll facilities without stopping to make payments. Nothing in this act shall be construed to prohibit a toll facility from retaining means of non-automated toll collection in some lanes of the facility. The Board shall also consider traffic congestion and mitigation thereof and the impact on local traffic movement as factors in determining the location of the toll facilities authorized pursuant to this act.

§ 6. Except for facilities covered by a concession agreement entered into pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this act, all funds collected pursuant to this act shall be deposited into a special nonreverting fund knows as the Hampton Roads Transportation Trust Fund and used exclusively as provided in §§ 2, 3, and 4 of this act.  If, at any time, funds from the Fund are used for purposes other than those designed by §§ 2, 3, and 4 of this act, all tolls provided for in this act shall cease to be imposed and collected.