The Regional Board Room, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia
1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by the Chair at 10:33 a.m.
2. Approval of Agenda
The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the agenda as written.
3. Executive Director Report
Mr. Robert Crum provided a summary of current work activities of the HRTPO, making particular note of the following:
• On July 26, 2019, the Elizabeth River Crossings (ERC) Task Force met in Portsmouth where a briefing was provided on the ERC contract with the State. Mr. Crum expressed his gratitude to VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich, Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine, and Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Lawson for their attendance and participation. The Secretary’s office will be reviewing the ERC Agreement between now and June 2020 to explore opportunities and provide recommendations on how to move forward.
WORKSHOP AGENDA
4. Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) Members Update
There was no CTB member in attendance.
5. Virginia Department of Transportation Update
Mr. Christopher Hall provided an update on the Regional Priority Projects stating that Segment II of the I-64 Peninsula Widening project has been open to the public since May 2019 and work is progressing on Segment III of the I-64 Peninsula Widening project, including the replacement of the Queens Creek Bridge. The I-64/I-264 Interchange Improvements Phase I project is on track for October 2019 and with regard to Phase 2, approach work is underway on the flyover over Cleveland Avenue. Work on the I-64 Southside Widening project, including the High-Rise Bridge, was halted in June due to permitting issues. It is unclear how the shutdown will affect the schedule. He stated that VDOT will brief the HRTPO Board on the Bowers Hill Interchange Improvements Study in the Fall.
6. Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) Update
Ms. Jennifer DeBruhl reported that the CTB approved the DRPT Six-Year Transportation Program (SYIP) that contains a significant investment in electric vehicles, of which six will be in operation at Hampton Roads Transit (HRT). She noted that during the public participation process for a study regarding DRPT’s Intercity Bus Program, the Virginia Breeze, which runs from Blacksburg to Washington, D.C., there was interest in connecting to Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
7. Virginia Port Authority (VPA) Update
Ms. Barbara Nelson introduced Mr. Larry Ewan, Chair of the Freight Transportation Advisory Committee (FTAC) and a Non-Voting HRTPO Board member. He reported that FTAC has taken action to recommend revisions to the HRTPO Project Prioritization Tool and recommended 70 projects to address freight needs on the transportation system for the 2045 LRTP. Additionally, FTAC has received briefings and provided comments on the HRPDC Economic Development Sites
Inventory, the Regional Connectors Study, regional SMART SCALE projects, and the Bowers Hill Interchange study. He noted FTAC’s next meeting will be September 25, 2019.
8. HRT and WATA Updates
Mr. William Harrell reported that HRT is proceeding well with its Strategic Planning effort, including several workshops with over 40 stakeholders. He directed those who are interested to visit the website of Transformtransit.com. He stated it was a collective effort of the region in order to improve public transportation.
Mr. Zach Trogdon reported that WATA has taken delivery of six new buses to replace outdated ones in its fleet. He stated that WATA is working with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to extend the life of their buses.
9. Community Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) Update
Ms. Terry Danaher reported that CTAC met in June 2019 and participated in a “Branding of the Region” session and stated that as the area markets itself, transportation is key to attracting more citizens to Hampton Roads.
10. Military Liaisons Updates
Colonel Ed Vedder, Joint Langley-Eustis, stated that due to changes in military health agencies, there will be more service people travelling to the Southside for medical care.
Captain Michael Moore, US Navy, had no comments.
LCDR Pete Francisco reported that the Coast Guard is working closely with the Army Corp of Engineers, Navy commands, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) to determine how to best recover if the Port received a direct hurricane strike.
11. Airport Representatives Updates
Mr. Robert Bowen of the Norfolk Airport Authority reported that Norfolk International Airport had its highest passenger count this past June. He noted that there are plans to build a new parking garage which will replace over 300 surface parking spaces. Construction is expected to begin in September 2019 and will take approximately 18 months to complete.
Mr. Michael Giardino of the Peninsula Airport Commission reported that the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is doing well with more airline flights over-sold on a regular basis. He stated the Airport received zero discrepancies on its last inspection with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He noted that it is the airport’s 30th anniversary of commercial air service and a 5K run is scheduled for the runway on September 14, 2019.
12. Regional Connectors Study: Phase 2 Supplement Budget Omission
Mr. Craig Eddy, Michael Baker International (MBI), lead consultant for the Regional Connectors Study (RCS), reported that the Consultant Team Manager for the RCS inadvertently omitted the budget for work to be performed by sub-consultant EDR Group from the Phase 2 Supplement budget that was approved by the HRTPO Board on May 16, 2019. The work tasks related to the omitted amount total $106,421.
This item was included in the meeting agenda for approval under item #21.
13. Regional Legislative Agenda
Mr. Robert Crum, HRTPO Executive Director, reported that for the past three years, the HRPDC and HRTPO have adopted a regional legislative agenda to convey to the General Assembly and Federal Delegation issues of regional significance that should be addressed on behalf of the Hampton Roads region. He summarized staff’s suggested legislative priorities and stated that the HRPDC and the HRTPO will meet jointly with the Hampton Roads Caucus on August 28, 2019 at the Regional Building to discuss the priorities.
14. Resolution of Support for Funding for I-64 Peninsula Widening – “Segment 4”
Mr. Robert Crum, HRTPO Executive Director, reported that the HRTPO is requesting that the Commonwealth place priority on the completion of the nine-mile I-64 Segment 4 project in James City and York Counties. He noted that the request is to allocate monies from the I-64 portion of the I-81 funding agreement. Mr. Crum stated an HRTPO Resolution of Support for Segment 4 was included in the Agenda packet.
The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the resolution.
15. 2045 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP): Scenario Planning Update
Ms. Dale Stith, HRTPO Principal Transportation Planner, reported that as part of the 2045 LRTP, scenario planning is being employed to investigate plausible alternate futures and their potential impact on the transportation system. She explained that in addition to developing the 2045 baseline scenario, three additional future scenarios are being developed through a collaborative regional stakeholder process. She noted that candidate transportation projects will be evaluated through each of the alternative scenarios in an effort to identify those projects that provide the most benefit to the region. She indicated that the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC), the Regional Connectors Study (RCS) Working Group, and the RCS Steering Committee have recommended approval of the Regional Scenario Planning Framework.
This item was included in the meeting agenda for approval under item #23-V.
16. I-64 Regional Express Lanes Update
Mr. Stephen Brich, VDOT Commissioner, briefed the HRTPO Board on the preliminary results from the Hampton Roads Regional Network Operational Study of the I-64 Regional Express Lanes. The study was conducted to understand potential impacts of increased capacity and identify potential future operational challenges across the 2025 transportation network.
Mr. Michael Kimbrel, HRTPO Deputy Executive Director briefed the HRTPO Board on a staff proposal to use the new HRTPO Travel Demand Model to test two cases, baseline and managed lanes network, for 2045 traffic conditions. He state that HRTPO and VDOT staff would be coordinating on this effort.
The HRTPO Chair directed staff to proceed with the proposed analyses.
MEETING AGENDA
17. Public Comment Period (limit 3 minutes per individual)
There were no public comments.
18. Submitted Public Comments
There were no submitted public comments in the agenda packet.
19. Transcribed Public Comments From Previous HRTPO Meeting
This item was for informational purposes
ACTION ITEMS
20. Nominating Committee: Vacancy Appointment and Annual Election Officers
Chair Thomas Shepperd appointed Mayor Rick West of Chesapeake to the HRTPO Nominating Committee. The Committee will report back to the HRTPO Board at the October 17, 2019 meeting with its nominations for HRTPO Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary.
21. Regional Connectors Study: Phase 2 Supplement Budget Omission
This item was presented under Workshop Agenda Item #12 and the HRTPO Board unanimously approved the $106,421 increase in the budget for the RCS Phase 2 Supplement to address the budget omission.
22. Additional Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside Funding For Hampton Roads Projects
Mr. Robert Crum, HRTPO Executive Director, stated that due to a nationwide rescission, Hampton Roads has approximately $650,000 in unallocated TA Set-Aside funds that are at risk of being rescinded. He noted that in order to protect this funding, the VDOT Local Assistance Division (LAD) has coordinated with HRTPO staff on six projects in Hampton Roads.
The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the additional TA Set-Aside funding for the six Hampton Roads projects.
23. Approval of Consent Items
The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the Consent Agenda as written.
INFORMATION ITEMS
24. HRTPO Board Three-Month Tentative Schedule
This item was for informational purposes.
25. Correspondence of Interest
This item was for informational purposes.
26. Minutes of HRTPO Committee Meetings
This item was for informational purposes.
27. For Your Information
This item was for informational purposes.
28. Old/New Business
There was no Old/New Business.
ADJOURNMENT
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