The Regional Board Room, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia

1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by the Chair at approximately 10:30 a.m.

2. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
There were no public comments.

3. COMMONWEALTH TRANSPORTATION BOARD MEMBER COMMENT PERIOD
Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) members Mr. Aubrey Layne and Mr. W. Sheppard Miller III briefed the HRTPO Board on the actions of the April 18, 2012 CTB meeting. They noted that the CTB approved allocating $100 million to the Downtown Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel/MLK Freeway Extension project, thereby delaying tolls until January 2014. They also noted that the CTB approved several transportation enhancement projects in Hampton Roads. They also indicated that the draft FY 2013-2018 Six-Year Improvement Program was released and out for public review and that a public hearing was scheduled in Hampton Roads on May 7, 2012. Mr. Layne and Mr. Miller then referred to an article that had been printed in The Virginian-Pilot and clarified several misconceptions regarding the money allocated to delay the tolls as well as the voting intentions of the CTB members. In addition, the CTB members indicated that Hampton Roads is no longer a ‘donor’ region as the region is currently receiving approximately the same amount as it is contributing (~20%).

4. SUBMITTED PUBLIC COMMENTS
Submitted written public comments were provided to the HRTPO Board.

5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
At the request of the Mr. William Bell, a new item was added under Old/New Business to discuss the HRTPO Freight Transportation Advisory Committee (FTAC) public outreach initiatives. The amended Agenda was approved.

CONSENT AGENDA:
Agenda items under the Consent Agenda were approved by the HRTPO Board.
6. Minutes
7. FY 2012-2015 Transportation Improvement Program: Suffolk

REGULAR AGENDA:
8. HRTPO FY 2013 Draft Budget
The HRTPO Board approved the HRTPO FY 2013 Budget with the exception of a 2% merit based adjustment. This will be addressed during the June HRPDC Executive Committee meeting.

9. FY 2013 Unified Planning Work Program: Final Document
The HRTPO Board approved the HRTPO FY 2013 Unified Planning Work Program.

10. HRTPO Regional Performance Measures: Final Report
The HRTPO Board approved the HRTPO Regional Performance Measures final report.

11. Hampton Roads Travel Time/Speed Study: Final Report
The HRTPO Board approved the Hampton Roads Travel Time/Speed Study final report.

12. Downtown Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel/MLK Freeway Extension Project Briefing
This item was for informational purposes only. The HRTPO Board took no action on this agenda item.

13. Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation Comments and Updates
Ms. Thelma Drake briefly reported on the transit and rail funds included in the recently approved state budget as well as the flexibility for the CTB to utilize Rail Enhancement Funds to increase the number of trains for the Amtrak service to Norfolk. She also noted that the operating subsidy in the draft FY 2013-2018 Six-Year Improvement Program will most likely remain the same as last year’s program. Ms. Drake stated that the statewide transit assessment performance and financial study DRPT is conducting, as specified in the 2011 Senate Joint Resolution 297, will ultimately aid the Department in requesting more funds for transit.

14. HRTPO Board Action Items: Three-Month Tentative Schedule
This item was for informational purposes only. The HRTPO Board took no action on this item.

15. Correspondence of Interest
This item was for informational purposes only. The HRTPO Board took no action on this item.

16. For Your Information
This item was for informational purposes only. The HRTPO Board took no action on this item.

17. Old/New Business
Mr. William Bell spoke on the public outreach the FTAC has initiated. He noted that the video ‘A Region United’ is the central point of their outreach and has been and will continue to be distributed. In addition, the FTAC will make presentations to groups/agencies/organizations on the topic of regional transportation initiatives to increase awareness.

In addition to this new item, the HRTPO Board approved the addition of a second New Business item per Chair Krasnoff’s request. Dr. Camelia Ravanbakht requested HRTPO Board approval of a resolution authorizing the HRTPO staff to execute and file an application for Federal Transit Administration Section 5303 Transit Technical Studies Funding. The HRTPO Board approved the resolution.

Per Delegate Cosgrove, Chair Krasnoff also requested that HRTPO Board members distribute the Downtown Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel/MLK Freeway Extension project presentation given by Mr. Tony Kinn to their councils and board of supervisors.

ADJOURNMENT

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO), during its meeting on April 19, 2012, approved the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for fiscal year 2013. The UPWP describes the transportation planning work and associated funding for the Hampton Roads metropolitan planning area (MPA) for the period from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. The UPWP is developed by the HRTPO in coordination with Hampton Roads Transit, Williamsburg Area Transit Authority, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

In addition to detailing the work associated with HRTPO core functions - the Long-Range Transportation Plan, the Transportation Improvement Program, the Congestion Management Process, and Public Participation - the UPWP includes a discussion of the planning priorities facing the MPA. It is in the determination of these planning priorities that the HRTPO Board endures its vision and goals are carried forward in the UPWP. The FY 2013 planning priorities for the HRTPO are:

Transportation Programming - Involves selecting projects on which to allocate scarce transportation funding and striving to ensure that those scarce dollars are used in the most cost-effective manner.

Military Transportation Needs – Building on the work of the past two years, the HRTPO will continue to focus on ways to improve transportation for the military, thereby furthering national defense and the economic well-being of the region.

Passenger Rail – Since the HRTPO Board approved a resolution in October 2009 in support of establishing passenger rail service between Richmond and Norfolk and enhancing the existing rail service between Richmond and Newport News, the HRTPO has worked diligently to improve the region’s potential for passenger rail service.

Regional Freight Planning – The Port of Hampton Roads is the third largest seaport on the East Coast, attracting more than 80% of the world’s major shipping lines and connecting the region with more than 100 nations and over 300 ports of call. The HRTPO will continue to consider and incorporate freight as a critical element of the region’s transportation planning process.

Keith Nichols, Senior Transportation Engineer

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) monitors regional roadway congestion through the Congestion Management Process (CMP). Historically, HRTPO staff has estimated peak hour congestion levels on each roadway segment based on traffic volumes collected over a short time period and roadway characteristics.

In recent years, new technologies have been created that collect travel time and speed data on a continuous basis. One source of such data, INRIX, provides real-time and historical travel time and speed data on an extensive roadway network. For 1,300 miles of roadway throughout Hampton Roads, INRIX provides averaged travel time and speed data in 15-minute intervals. HRTPO staff used this 2010 archived data to determine travel times and speeds, congestion levels and durations, and delays on regional roadways.

For each roadway segment, Speed Reduction Factors were calculated to determine the slowest roadways in the region. Speed Reduction Factors are defined by the Texas Transportation Institute as the ratio of the actual segment travel speeds divided by the segment free flow travel speeds. A total of 29 roadway segments throughout the region have a minimum Speed Reduction Factor of 0.40 or lower during the AM Peak Period (defined in this study as occurring between 6 am and 9 am), and 54 segments meet this threshold during the PM Peak Period (defined as occurring between 3 pm and 7 pm). Many of these segments, as shown in the table, include high profile facilities throughout the region such as the approaches to the Downtown Tunnel, Midtown Tunnel, Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, High Rise Bridge, and Gilmerton Bridge.

This INRIX data was also used by HRTPO staff to determine the duration of congestion, which HRTPO staff had not been able to do with previous congestion analysis methods. A total of 34 roadway segments throughout Hampton Roads are severely congested for at least 9 of the 12 15-minute intervals during the AM Peak Period, and 50 roadway segments are severely congested for at least 13 of the 16 15-minute intervals during the PM Peak Period. Similar to the lowest Speed Reduction Factors, many of the roadway segments with the longest congestion durations include high profile facilities throughout the region such as the Downtown Tunnel, Midtown Tunnel, Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, High Rise Bridge, and Gilmerton Bridge.

As part of this study, a number of high profile locations throughout Hampton Roads were analyzed in further detail. This includes the length, duration, and level of congestion during the AM and PM Peak Periods at each location, and the total delay during each peak period. Among the ten high profile locations studied in this report, the Downtown Tunnel has the highest peak period delays in both the AM and PM Peak Periods. The Midtown Tunnel has the second highest delay during the AM Peak Period, while the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel has the second highest delay during the PM Peak Period.

The Hampton Roads Regional Travel Time/Speed Study is available on HRTPO’s website at http://hrtpo.org/TPO_Reports.asp.

By Jessica M. Banks
Senior Transportation Analyst

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) is soliciting public comments for the Draft FY 2013-2018 Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP), set to be approved by the CTB in June 2012. The SYIP is updated annually and is the means by which the CTB meets its statutory obligation to allocate funds to interstate, primary and urban highway systems, rail, public transportation, airports, ports, and other programs for the immediate fiscal year. The SYIP also identifies planned program funding for the subsequent five fiscal years.

Public hearings are scheduled throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Hampton Roads residents will have an opportunity to contribute their comments at the May 7, 2012 meeting. The meeting is scheduled to start at 6:00pm and is located at:

Regional Boardroom
723 Woodlake Drive
Chesapeake, VA 23320

By Joe Turner, Communications Manager

In January of 2012, the HRTPO welcomed new members to the HRTPO Board.  The HRTPO serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Hampton Roads region, and as such, it establishes regional transportation policies, determines allocation of available transportation funds and prioritizes transportation projects for the region. 

The new members are:

Anthony Conyers, Jr. (Williamsburg Area Transit Authority) – Voting member
Dolores C. Darden (Isle of Wight) Voting Member
Christopher A. Hutson (Gloucester) Voting Member
Mary K. Jones (James City County) Voting member

JoAnn W. Hall (Isle of Wight) – Voting Alternate
Judith Knudson (Williamsburg) – Voting Alternate
Charles B. Whitehurst (Portsmouth) – Voting Alternate

Colonel Korvin D. Auch (Air Force – Langley) Non-voting
Colonel Thomas R. Wetherington (Army – Langley) Non-voting

The HRTPO Board continually assesses its membership to account for emerging trends or shifts in the area of regional transportation and may add other stakeholders as deemed appropriate. Many Hampton Roads residents don’t realize that in addition to state, federal and military liasions, their elected officials are appointed to serve on the HRTPO Board. These public servants balance the difficult paradox of representing their localities, while crafting solutions that will benefit the entire region, and they perform these duties willingly and without compensation. 

In these austere times, budget season requires local governments, and the HRTPO, to make difficult choices and prioritize programs with limited resources available.  Tackling issues regionally is an ideal way to take advantage of economies of scale, as well as shared resources and expertise.  The HRTPO was founded upon this collective approach to solving problems.  It is our goal to provide the localities and citizens of Hampton Roads the highest quality products and services improve the quality of life for all in Hampton Roads.

By Mike Kimbrel, Principal Transportation Engineer

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) has produced the Draft Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for fiscal year 2013, which begins on July 1, 2012.  The UPWP describes transportation planning work to be performed for the Hampton Roads metropolitan planning area by the HRTPO, the local public transportation operators (Hampton Roads Transit and Williamsburg Area Transit Authority), and the Virginia Department of Transportation. 

To review and comment on the draft UPWP, please follow this link to the public notices on the HRTPO website: http://hrtpo.org/TPO_PubNotice.asp.  The deadline for comments on the draft UPWP is March 16, 2012.

Keith Nichols, Senior Transportation Engineer

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) has completed the Draft Hampton Roads Regional Travel Time/Speed Study report.

In recent years, new technologies have been created that collect travel time and speed data on a continuous basis.  One source of such data, INRIX, provides real-time and historical travel time and speed data on an extensive statewide roadway network.  HRTPO staff has used this archived data to determine roadway congestion levels based on actual travel times and speeds rather than the current method of estimating congestion levels based on traffic volumes and roadway characteristics.  In addition, HRTPO staff has analyzed the duration of congestion, by roadway segment, with this data. 

This report details HRTPO’s analysis of the travel time and speed data that was collected by INRIX for the year 2010.  This data will help HRTPO with its Congestion Management Process (CMP), which monitors regional roadway congestion and assists with the selection of projects for the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). 

Click Here to view a copy of the draft document.  The appendices for the report are also available here.

All interested parties are encouraged to review the draft report and send comments to Mr. Keith Nichols at knichols@hrpdcva.gov or by mail to 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia 23320. The deadline for comments on this draft report is March 21st, 2012.

Keith Nichols, Senior Transportation Engineer

The statewide gas tax is one of the primary methods of funding transportation construction and maintenance, both in Virginia and throughout the country.  At 17.5 cents per gallon, Virginia’s tax on unleaded fuel is lower than the tax charged in 40 other states, including all six neighboring states and districts.  The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) recently released a report detailing the impacts of the gas tax titled Building a Better Gas Tax: How to Fix One of State Government’s Least Sustainable Revenue Sources.  Among the facts included in the report:

• Many states, including Virginia, have not raised their gas tax in years — and in many cases — decades.  Virginia last raised its gasoline tax in 1986.  This tied Virginia for the second longest period without raising the gas tax among the 50 states and District of Columbia.
• This has, in turn, decreased the impact of the gas tax, as inflation reduces the purchasing power of the tax.  In Virginia, the purchasing power of the gas tax, per gallon, has decreased 45% since the last time the tax was increased.
• In Virginia, the gas tax would need to be increased by 14.5 cents per gallon to have the same purchasing power, per gallon, as the tax did the last time it was increased.
• Only fourteen states have provisions in their laws that automatically adjust the tax rate based on increases in fuel prices or the inflation rate.
• Each penny added to the gas tax would be expected to produce an additional $40 million in annual revenue in Virginia.

More information is available in the Building a Better Gas Tax report, which is available on ITEP’s website at http://www.itepnet.org/bettergastax.