Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization Board Meeting

October 17, 2019

The Regional Board Room
723 Woodlake Drive
Chesapeake, Virginia

Held Concurrently with the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission

1.      Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by the Chair at 9:41 a.m.

2.      Approval of Agenda

The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the agenda as written. 

3.      Public Comment Period (limit 3 minutes per individual)

There were no public comments.

4.      Submitted Public Comments

There were no submitted public comments.

5.      Executive Director Report

Mr. Robert Crum stated that the Executive Director Report was included in the agenda packet.

6.       Election of HRTPO Board Officers

Chair Tom Shepperd stated that it was an honor to serve as HRTPO Chair and expressed his appreciation to the Board members for working together to enhance the transportation network for the entire region.

Mayor Kenneth Alexander, Nominating Committee Chair, stated Mayor John Rowe and Mayor Donnie Tuck were nominated for the positions of HRTPO Chair and Vice-Chair with HRTPO Executive Director Robert Crum as Secretary.

The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the nominations. 

7.      Employee Recognition

Mr. Robert Crum recognized the following employees for their outstanding service to the HRTPO:

• John Mihaly, Principal Transportation Planner – 5 years
• Keith Nichols, Principal Transportation Engineer – 20 years
• Sam Belfield, Senior Transportation Engineer – 20 years
• Mike Kimbrel, Deputy Executive Director – 30 years

8.      2020 Regional Legislative Agenda

Mr. Robert Crum, HRTPO Executive Director, reported that the 2020 Regional Legislative Agenda has been drafted for HRTPO Board consideration and submission to the Hampton Roads Caucus of the General Assembly and the Hampton Roads Congressional Delegation.  The 2020 Virginia General Assembly session convenes on January 8, 2020.

The following HRTPO priorities will be included in the 2020 Legislative Agenda:

• Continue to pursue Federal and State funding for the I-64 HRBT Expansion Project
• Request that the Commonwealth place priority on widening the 9-mile section of I-64 from Exit 234 (Route 199 – Lightfoot) to the James City County/New Kent County line
• Support increased funding to the Virginia SMART SCALE Program
• Promote higher speed passenger rail service between Hampton Roads and Richmond, including projects of independent utility that improve travel times and reliability for the Southside and Peninsula corridors
  

The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the Resolution.

9.       Approval of HRTPO Consent Agenda

The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the Consent Agenda.

10. I-64 Regional Express Lanes Update (Concurrent with the HRTAC)

Mr. Stephen Brich, VDOT Commissioner, reported that preliminary, high-level costs associated with the regional express lanes, including preliminary engineering, right of way, construction, and contingency, are estimated as follows:

• Peninsula:  $600 – $650 million
• Southside:  $170 – $185 million
  

Mr. Brich noted that unfortunately, VDOT was unable to complete the traffic and revenue analysis.  He indicated the analysis should be completed before the December 12, 2019 HRTAC meeting.

Mr. Robert Crum, HRTPO Executive Director, presented a draft HRTPO Resolution endorsing the Hampton Roads Regional Express Lanes Network.  After a lengthy discussion, the HRTPO Board unanimously endorsed the resolution as amended.

Delegate David Yancey Moved that the Master Tolling Agreement for the entire network with the Commonwealth Transportation Board’s approval be brought to the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission (HRTAC) for agreement and finalization between HRTAC and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) at the December 12th meeting.

The HRTPO Board unanimously approved the Motion.

ADJOURNMENT