By: Keith Nichols
Senior Transportation Engineer

With water being such a prominent part of the Hampton Roads landscape, bridges are a critical part of the regional transportation system.  There are over 1,200 bridges in Hampton Roads, ranging from small culverts to some of the longest bridges in the world. 

Of these 1,214 bridges in Hampton Roads, 77 are classified as structurally deficient.  Structurally deficient bridges are structures with elements that need to be monitored and/or repaired, and eventually need to be rehabilitated or replaced.  It should be noted, however, that structurally deficient bridges are not necessarily unsafe, and bridge inspectors will close or place weight limits on any bridge that is unsafe.

Examples of prominent structurally deficient bridges in Hampton Roads include the Gilmerton Bridge, Lesner Bridge, Denbigh Boulevard Bridge over I-64 in Newport News, Churchland Bridge, and a segment of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.

In addition, another 271 bridges in Hampton Roads are classified as functionally obsolete.  Functionally obsolete bridges are structures that were built to standards that are no longer used today, and have narrow lanes, low vertical clearances, difficult approaches, or may occasionally be flooded.

VDOT has made improving bridges a priority, both in Hampton Roads and throughout the Commonwealth.  A total of 27 bridge projects in Hampton Roads are included in the current Six-Year Improvement Program, with a total of $339 million in allocations.  Many structurally deficient bridge projects are funded, including the Gilmerton Bridge, Lesner Bridge, and Denbigh Boulevard Bridge over I-64.

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization completed a thorough study of bridges in 2008.  This study is available at the HRTPO website at http://hrtpo.org/Documents/Reports/2008/RegionalBridgeStudyFinalReport.pdf.

Structurally Deficient and Functionally Obsolete Bridges in Hampton Roads

By Kendall Miller
Public Involvement and Community Outreach Administrator
 
The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) adopted the Fiscal Years (FY) 2012-2017 Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP) at its meeting on June 15, 2011, allocating to projects almost $3 billion in additional construction funding created by Governor Bob McDonnell’s transportation funding package passed by the General Assembly this year. The $10.6 billion construction program, which increased 36 percent from $7.8 billion in the FY 2011-2016 program, will enable important rail, transit, transportation management, bicycle, pedestrian and highway projects to move forward. To read the full press release, click here 

By Jessica M. Banks
Senior Transportation Analyst

On April 18, 2011, Governor McDonnell signed into law a comprehensive transportation investment legislation that will provide funding for more than 900 transportation projects over the next three years in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The legislation will accelerates the issuance of $200 million of Capital Project Revenue Bonds authorized by the General Assembly in 2007 during FY 2012 and $300 million in FY 2013, thereby enabling the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to issue $1.8 billion in bonds over the next three years; authorizes the issuance of $1.1 billion in federally backed Direct GARVEE Bonds to better leverage the Commonwealth's annual federal allocation and support the construction of major congestion reducing projects statewide; creates a new Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank, initially funded with $283 million from the FY 2010 surplus and savings from the VDOT performance audit, to make low-interest loans and grants to localities, transportation authorities and private-sector partners for transportation projects. The administration aims to put $1 billion into the bank through a number of mechanisms over the next three years.

Some projects of note that will be funded by this program in Hampton Roads are:
•    Widening Lynnhaven Parkway, Holland Road and Witch Duck Road in Virginia Beach, as well as replacing the Lesner Bridge
•    Advancing PPTA projects such as the widening of Dominion Boulevard in Chesapeake; the construction of a new tube for the Midtown Tunnel between Norfolk and Portsmouth; and construction of a new Route 460 from Suffolk to Petersburg

For more information, please see the Governor's April 18, 2011 press release.

Tonight, VDOT will be holding one of four public hearing to gain comment on the FY 2012 - 2017 Six Year Improvement Program (SYIP).  For information about tonight's meeting, click HERE.

By Mike Kimbrel
Principal Transportation Engineer

1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by the Chair at 9:46 a.m. (Following ICG Meeting)

2. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD (Oral comments - Limit 3 minutes per individual)
There were no speakers.

3. SUBMITTED PUBLIC COMMENTS (Written comments included in agenda packet)
The Chair recognized the submitted public comments.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Mr. Gibson requested that a new agenda item be added after Item 14 to discuss amending the 2034 LRTP list of projects to change the Route 460 project from a study to a construction project. Mr. Hicks requested that a new agenda item be added after Item 11 to address a James City County TIP Amendment request. Mr. Gibson moved approval of the requested changes to the agenda. Mr. Abt seconded the motion and the agenda was approved with the
requested changes.

5. MINUTES
The minutes were approved with no changes.

6. NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Mr. Schnaufer noted that the Nominating Committee had recommended Mr. Sorey for TTAC Chair and Mr. King for TTAC Vice-Chair. He then moved approval of the recommended officers. Mr. Drumwright seconded the motion and it was approved.

7. CMAQ/RSTP RECONCILIATION WORK: STATUS REPORT
Mr. Kimbrel briefed the TTAC on the status of reallocating CMAQ and RSTP funds found to be available from Categories A and C, noting that the total available funds had been reduced as a result of a determination by York County, James City County, and Williamsburg that two projects listed as Districtwide projects were underway projects as opposed to completed projects. This item was for informational purposes. The TTAC took no action on this item.

8. FY 2009-2012 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AMENDMENT: CHESAPEAKE
Mr. Walton briefed the TTAC on the City’s request to reallocate RSTP and CMAQ funds, noting that some funds were being returned to the CMAQ Reserve. Mr. Walton moved approval of the TIP Amendment. Mr. Hicks seconded the motion and it was approved.

9. FY 2009-2012 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AMENDMENT: NEWPORT NEWS
Mr. Slaughter briefed the TTAC on the City’s request to reallocate CMAQ funds and moved approval of the TIP Amendment. Mr. Lewis seconded the motion and it was approved.

10. FY 2009-2012 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AMENDMENT: NORFOLK
Mr. Brown briefed the TTAC on the City’s request to reallocate CMAQ funds and moved approval of the TIP Amendment. Mr. Walton seconded the motion and it was approved.

11. FY 2009-2012 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AMENDMENT: JAMES CITY COUNTY
Mr. Hicks briefed the TTAC on the County’s request to add the Skiffes Creek Connector to the FY 2009-2012 TIP as a Preliminary Engineering and Right of Way Only project and to transfer funds to the new project from the Route 60 Relocated project. Mr. Hicks moved approval of the TIP Amendment. Mr. Cross seconded the motion and it was approved.

New Item FY 2009-2012 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AMENDMENT: JAMES CITY COUNTY
Mr. Hicks briefed the TTAC on the County’s request to reallocate CMAQ and RSTP funds and moved approval of the TIP Amendment. Mr. Walton seconded the motion and it was approved.

12. REVIEW OF THE FY 2012-2017 SIX-YEAR IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROCESS: VDOT
Mr. Jack briefed the TTAC on the roles and responsibilities of the various entities involved in the development of the SYIP. This item was for informational purposes. The TTAC took no action on this item.

13. I-64 PENINSULA STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT: VDOT
Mr. Nies briefed the TTAC on the purpose of the study, as well as the timeline and current status. This item was for informational purposes. The TTAC took no action on this item.

14. 2034 LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN: STATUS REPORT
Ms. Ravanbakht noted that the Recommended List of Projects and Studies that was approved by the HRTPO Board during its March 2011 meeting was enclosed. She further noted that the document had been widely distributed, and that recipients included the Governor, Secretary of Transportation, and members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Ms. Stith then briefed the TTAC on the status of the 2034 LRTP development, noting the tasks completed to date as well as the schedule of remaining tasks to be completed by January 2012. This item was for informational purposes. The TTAC took no action on this item.

New Item AMENDING THE RECOMMENDED LIST OF PROJECTS AND STUDIES FOR THE 2034 LRTP TO SHOW THE ROUTE 460 PROJECT AS A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Mr. Gibson noted that the current Recommended List of Projects and Studies for the 2034 LRTP includes the Route 460 project as a study, but that the PPTA process makes the construction of the Route 460 project financially-constrained. As such, Mr. Gibson moved that the Recommended List of Projects and Studies for the 2034 LRTP be amended to show the project as a construction project. Mr. Ponticello seconded the motion and it was approved.

15. INRIX NATIONAL TRAFFIC SCORECARD
Mr. Nichols briefed the TTAC on the INRIX National Traffic Scorecard 2010 Annual Report,which details the status of congestion in the largest 100 metropolitan areas across the country. The congestion information is based on travel speed information collected from over 4 million GPS-equipped vehicles, as well as consumer cellular GPS-based devices. This item was for informational purposes. The TTAC took no action on this item.

16. CORRESPONDENCE OF INTEREST
There were no items this month.

17. FOR YOUR INFORMATION
The Chair noted the item on the VDOT public hearing on the draft Six-Year Improvement Program that is scheduled for April 27, 2011 at the Regional Building, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia. The items listed under FYI were for informational purposes. The TTAC took no action on the items listed under FYI.

18. OLD/NEW BUSINESS
Mr. Hicks stated that there was a recent public meeting in James City County on the Mooretown Road Corridor Extension, noting that over 70 people attended the meeting. He expressed special appreciation to Ms. Ravanbakht for her attendance and presentation during the public meeting. The TTAC took no action on this item.

ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 11:04 a.m.

March 17, 2011
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
A private citizen and representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, Commonwealth Transportation Board, and the Greater Norfolk Corporation addressed the HRTPO Board.

3.    SUBMITTED PUBLIC COMMENTS
A submitted written public comment was provided to the HRTPO Board.

4.    APPROVAL OF AGENDA
A new agenda item was added to be discussed under Agenda Item #20 New Business at the request of the Citizen Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) Chair.  Furthermore, the Executive Director requested to move Agenda Item #9 FY 2012-2015 Transportation Improvement Program: Draft Project List from the Consent Agenda to the Regular Agenda.

CONSENT AGENDA:
Agenda items under the Consent Agenda were approved by the HRTPO Board.

5.    Minutes

6.    FY 2009-2012 Transportation Improvement Program Amendment: VDOT

7.    FY 2009-2012 Transportation Improvement Program Revision: Virginia Beach

8.    Hampton Roads 2030 LRTP and FY 2009-2012 Transportation Improvement Program Air Quality Conformity: Final Report

10.    Freight Transportation Advisory Committee: Membership

11.    FY 2012 Federal Grant Application: Rural Transportation

REGULAR AGENDA:

9.    FY 2012-2015 Transportation Improvement Program: Draft Project List
The HRTPO Board approved the draft project list and appendix materials so that work may begin on the Air Quality Conformity analysis in April 2011.

12.    Transportation Project Prioritization: CTAC Resolution
This item was for informational purposes only.  The HRTPO Board took no action on this item.

13.    Transportation Project Prioritization: Recommended List of Projects and Studies
The HRTPO Board approved to the Recommended Transportation Project and Studies Priorities list.

14.    Allocating CMAQ and RSTP Funds Through FY 2017
The HRTPO Board approved the Additional New CMAQ & RSTP Allocations (Tables 2 & 5), as well as the TIP amendment to incorporate the new project and funding information into the FY 2009-2012 TIP, with two opposing votes from the Virginia Department of Transportation and Hampton Roads Transit representatives.

15.    Transit Vision Plan: Final Report and Resolution
The HRTPO Board approved to the report and the resolution.

16.    High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail: Status Update
The HRTPO Board approved the authorization of the Executive Director to continue working with the high-speed rail consultant to evaluate the status of the federal programs, work in harmony with DRPT regarding their efforts, and craft a scope of work that is responsive to the federal program and not duplicative of DRPT’s efforts.

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

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

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

20.    Old/New Business
At the request of the CTAC Chair, a new agenda item was created to address renewing membership to those CTAC members with expiring term limits.  The HRTPO Board approved the renewal of the membership of those CTAC members with a one-year initial term limit to an additional three-year term, as well as authorized the Executive Director to coordinate with localities to fill vacant CTAC membership positions.

ADJOURNMENT

VDOT has announced a series of tentative public hearing dates and locations for their 2012 SYIP. The SYIP is the Commonwealth Transportation Board's (CTB) program for allocating funding for rail, public transportation, commuter assistance, bicycle, pedestrian, interstate and primary highway transportation projects in future years. HRTPO will update the meeting dates as they become available. To see a list of hearing dates and locations, see the table below.

By: Mike Kimbrel
Principal Transportation Engineer

1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by the Chair at 9:30 a.m.

2. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD (Oral comments - Limit 3 minutes per individual)
There were no speakers.

3. PUBLIC COMMENTS (Written comments included in agenda packet)
There were no general public comments during the period. Public comments regarding the Transportation Project Prioritization item were included as an enclosure under Item 13. The TTAC took no action on this item.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
The agenda was approved with no changes.

5. MINUTES
The minutes were approved with no changes.

6. FY 2012 UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM: DRAFT 1
The TTAC was asked to review Draft 1 and submit comments to HRTPO staff by COB Wednesday, February 16, 2011. The TTAC took no action on this item.

7. REVIEW OF UNOBLIGATED CMAQ/RSTP FUNDS: STATUS REPORT
A. The TTAC approved the TTS recommendations.
B. Item 7B was for informational purposes.

8. ALLOCATING CMAQ FUNDS THROUGH FY 2017
TTAC members were advised to review their CMAQ and RSTP projects in preparation for allocation work to be completed by the TTS on February 10, 2011. The TTAC took no action on this item.

9. FY 2012-2017 TIP/STIP UPDATE
TTAC members were advised to be prepared to review their projects in the draft TIP project list which is expected to be forwarded to them on or just after February 9, 2011. When the draft project list is forwarded, TTAC members will be asked to respond to HRTPO staff with
their comments in short order so that the draft project list may be approved by the TTAC and HRTPO Board in March 2011. The TTAC took no action on this item.

10. LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN: LRTP AMENDMENT PROCEDURES
The TTAC approved the LRTP Amendment Form and selected Option B.

11. FAST FERRY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
This item was for informational purposes. The TTAC took no action on this item.

12. REGIONAL LAND USE MAP
TTAC members were asked to review the draft regional land use designations and submit comments to HRTPO staff by February 16, 2011. The TTAC took no action on this item.

13. TRANSPORTATION PROJECT PRIORITIZATION: RECOMMENDATIONS TO HRTPO BOARD
The TTAC approved the recommendations of the LRTP Subcommittee, which provided a Draft 2034 LRTP Transportation Project Prioritization for consideration by the HRTPO Board during the Board retreat on February 17, 2011.

14. FOR YOUR INFORMATION
The items listed under FYI were for informational purposes. Pertaining to Item 14C, the Long-Range Transportation Plan public meetings scheduled for February, Ms. Miller noted flyers that had been prepared to help spread the word on the meetings to be held on February 2, 2011 at 723 Woodlake Drive in Chesapeake and on February 23, 2011 at 700 Town Center Drive in Newport News. The TTAC took no action on the items listed under FYI.

15. OLD/NEW BUSINESS
The TTAC took no action on this item.

ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:53 a.m.

Kendall Miller

Public Involvement and Community Outreach Administrator

Although newspapers are reaching fewer and fewer citizens, more than 100 million Americans log onto Facebook daily. Consequently, the Internet has now surpassed television as the most viewed media in the United States. While Facebook was once only a vehicle for reaching younger demographics, social networking has grown in popularity among seniors and baby boomers. In fact, citizens over age 35 are the fastest growing Facebook demographic.  As a result, HRTPO has launched its new Facebook  site.  In addition to information about HRTPO meetings, projects and initiatives the Facebook site will stream content from other partner sites, using  Facebook applications such as RSS feeds, MyFlickr, and YouTube Video Box.  Check out our new Facebook site at Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization.