On May 16, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) held its monthly workshop in Roanoke. A key item on CTB’s agenda was a presentation about VDOT’s “Arterial Preservation Program.” The chief objective of the VDOT’s Arterial Preservation Program is to facilitate maximum mobility within such major “corridors of statewide significance” as (for example) U.S. Route 220, U.S. Route 29 and others.
According to VDOT, one major impediment to this objective is the installation of an excessive number of traffic signals. The growth in the number of new businesses along major corridors often necessitates an increase in intersections, thus creating the need for more traffic signals in order to protect public safety. So, the challenge is to strike a balance between mobility in major corridors while also providing safe access to them from new commercial development. If VDOT is overly strict about denying access to major arterials from newly constructed streets necessitated by commercial construction it could adversely affect economic development to the detriment of counties.
During the workshop CTB also received routine presentations on the status of the Six Year Transportation Improvement Plan for 2018 through 2022, Smart Scale and the Revenue Sharing program. The CTB is expected to consider changes to the Revenue Sharing Program during its June meeting.
Here are some of the recommendations VDOT’s staff are expected to present to CTB next month:
- Reduce the maximum a locality may apply for each fiscal year from $10 million to $5 million.
- Establish a lifetime allocation maximum of $10 million (state match) per project, including transfers to the project.
- Surplus funds from a completed project may continue to be transferred administratively to an existing revenue sharing project.
- Surplus funds from a cancelled project will be deallocated and deposited to the statewide revenue sharing account. Those funds may only be reallocated by CTB.
Such issues as transportation funding, Smart Scale, the revenue sharing program and the arterial protection program are emerging as major items on the agenda of a special meeting to be held by VACo’s Transportation Steering Committee on Wednesday, June 15, between 10 a.m. and noon at the Henrico County Government Complex. Any questions concerning this meeting may be directed to Larry Land, Lland@vaco.org. Telephone: 804.343.2504.
VACo Contact: Larry Land, CAE