Action Summary
Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization Board Meeting
July 21, 2016
The Regional Board Room, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia
 

1.     Call to Order
  The meeting was called to order by the Chair at 10:52 a.m.
 
2.     Approval of Agenda
The Board approved the agenda.
 
3.     Executive Director Report
Mr. Robert Crum provided a brief summary of current work activities of the HRTPO, making particular note of the auditor work occurring at the TPO and invited board members to comment on the process. He mentioned that a meeting will be announced within the next week for the Hampton Roads Legislative Caucus to discuss regional issues. Mr. Crum announced his upcoming address at the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) on July 28, 2016.
 
WORKSHOP AGENDA
 
4.     Commonwealth Transportation Board Member Update
Mr. John Malbon reported that the CTB will meet on July 28, 2016 and that the SMART SCALE Project Selection Process has been recognized nationally. He announced that the Atlantic Gateway project in Virginia received a $165 million Federal Grant for transportation improvements to portions of the I-95 and Northeast Regional rail corridor. Mr. Malbon noted that the bid for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Thimble Shoals project came in higher than anticipated and is under revision.
 
5.     Virginia Department of Transportation Update
Mr. James Utterback provided an update on the progress of the I-64 Peninsula Widening (Segments 1-3), the I-64/I-264 Interchange, and the I-64 Southside Widening/High Rise Bridge projects.
 
6.     Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation Update
Ms. Jennifer DeBruhl reported that the $165 million Federal FASTLANE grant is part of a $1.4 billion initiative of which $500 million is slated for rail investments. She mentioned that a media outreach campaign is being planned to outline the benefits of the initiative to the Hampton Roads Region.
 
7.     Virginia Port Authority Update
Ms. Cathie Vick reported that the Governor and many legislators joined together yesterday to celebrate the $350 million Port investments. She stated that work will begin this fall and that there has been a slight delay on the Northgate project due to some soil contamination issues.
 
8.     HRT and WATA Updates
Mr. William Harrell reported that the recent Regional Transformational Transit Summit at the Sadler Center in Virginia Beach was a great success with over 250 participants. He announced that HRT has initiated work on the Peninsula Corridor Study and will brief the city councils of Newport News and Hampton in August.
 
Mr. Todd Tyree announced that the new WATA Board Chair is Mr. Doug Powell from James City County and the Vice-Chair is Carolyn Murphy of Williamsburg.
 
9.     Citizen Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) Update
There were no updates from the CTAC.
 
10. Military Liaisons Updates
Capt. Dean Vandelay had no comments and updates.
 
Capt. Kevin Carroll announced that the Coast Guard conducted a risk assessment study for the first time since 2001 and the report will be available for review in the near future.
 
Col. Joseph Laudner had no comments or updates.
 
11. Nominating Committee: Appointments for Annual Election of Officers
Chair Linda Johnson nominated Mr. Rex Alphin from Isle of Wight County and Mayor Kenny Alexander from Norfolk for the Nominating Committee and appointed Mayor William Sessoms from Virginia Beach the Chair of the Nominating Committee. Mayor Sessoms accepted the position.
 
12. 2040 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) Adoption
Ms. Dale Stith provided a briefing on the Final 2040 LRTP . Ms. Stith outlined the 2040 LRTP timeline and the compendium of reports that were produced during the process. This item was included in the meeting agenda for approval under item #21C.
 
13. HRCS – SEIS: Alternatives and Public Comment Process Discussion
Mr. Bob Crum provided a briefing on the Hampton Roads Crossing Study – Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, highlighting Alternatives A-D.  He provided a timetable for the next steps which include the release of the Draft SEIS in August 2016.  He urged all Board members to review the alternatives and said that staff will be preparing additional data related to the alternatives.
 
14. Federal Quadrennial Certification Review of the HRTPO
Mr. Ivan Rucker provided a briefing on the HRTPO Quadrennial Federal Planning Certification Review of the transportation planning process for the region.  He praised the great work of the HRTPO, stated that the HRTPO’s planning process substantially meets federal requirements, and stated that the FTA and FHWA certify the HRTPO planning process, subject to three specified corrective actions being addressed.
 
15. Franklin and Southampton County – Proposed MPA Expansion Concept
Mr. Bob Crum provided a briefing on a proposal to expand the HRTPO Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA) to include portions of Franklin and Southampton to provide Franklin & Southampton County with full voting rights on the HRTPO Board, TTAC and CTAC.  Mr. Crum also briefed the Board on revised memoranda of agreement (MOAs) between the HRTPO and each of the two localities that included the establishment of a one-time RSTP fund set-aside equivalent to revenues paid into the HRTF by Franklin & Southampton County in FY 2014 ($2,028,866), which will be made exclusively available to the City and County for projects within the expanded MPA.  The MOAs also included a commitment by the HRTPO to conduct a Route 58 Corridor Feasibility Study to the Greensville County line sometime over the next four years. This item was included in the meeting agenda for approval under item #21D.
 
ACTION ITEMS AGENDA
 
16. Public Comment Period (limit 3 minutes per individual)
A citizen from Virginia Beach expressed that she opposed the inclusion of Light Rail studies in the LRTP and was encouraged to see that the HRBT was under consideration for the HRCS SEIS.
 
A citizen from Virginia Beach commented that he supports funding of “No-man’s land” and alternative D of the HRCS SEIS. He expressed that he was not in support of studies contained in the LRTP.
 
A citizen from Newport News voiced support of FHWA recommendations on cost estimate projections.  He stated that MMMBT is not as congested as the HRBT and suggested that an eight-lane tube configuration at HRBT is best.
 
A citizen from Portsmouth stated her concerns over the Hampton Roads Region being considered for UASI designation.
 
A citizen from Norfolk commented that the high level of construction activity may be contributing to lessened air quality and warned that fracking can have negative consequences for asthma sufferers.  
 
 
17. Submitted Public Comments
There were no submitted public comments.
 
18. Transcribed Public Comments From Previous HRTPO Meeting
This item was for informational purposes.
 
19.  FY 2017 HRTPO Budget – Staff Performance Compensation
The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the FY 2017 Budget Amendment.
 
20. Vacancy Appointment for Vice-Chair
The HRTPO Board unanimously approved Tom Shepperd from York County as Vice-Chair of the HRTPO Board and Mr. Philip Bazzani from Gloucester as a member of the HRTPO Legislative Ad-hoc Committee.
 
21. Approval of Consent Items
The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the Consent Agenda items.
 
22. HRTPO Board Three-Month Tentative Schedule
This item was for informational purposes.
 
23. Correspondence of Interest
This item was for informational purposes.
 
24. Minutes of HRTPO Committee Meetings
 This item was for informational purposes.
 
25. For Your Information
This item was for informational purposes.
 
26. Old/New Business
There was no Old/New business.
 
ADJOURNMENT