Hampton Roads Transportation

[Former Resident of HR]

Well it appears that all is not well in third crossing land. Look for this to become a major regional issue in years to come, as if it weren't already  . Cheaper plan rejected for third crossing

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WHAT THE BLEEP? "An additional $50 vehicle registration fee?" You have got to be kidding me or that must be a typo. Would that be for just us (even though we don't get to vote on which option to choose? And we have the ports but get none of the $$ back?). VA registration is already absurd but $50 more a year? Uhm I think I would be getting some NC plates pretty quickly along with a lot of other people.

The people in charge are idiots plain and simple. While they sit and twiddle their thumbs saying "we want this expensive tunnel and we won't budge" we get nothing. Being as most people don't like driving 20-30 miles out of their way, expanding the MMBT seems like the most logical thing to do... FOR THE PORTS. The ONLY reason to get the third crossing is that it will take traffic right from the ports and off the HRBT. The only big problem with that is that WE in HR end up paying for it when the COMMONWEALTH takes all of our port money.

As for the whole military issue with these tunnels, I mean serioulsy can't Uncle Sam pony up some cash? I know everyone is gung-ho to the military here but as a former vet, I have always thought that the feds are not coughing up anywhere near enough money for this area's traffic which is a direct result of them not allowing bridges.

And wot is up with the 80c toll? 80c? WHAT IS THE POINT? And then adding extra sales tax and gas tax on people who may not even use the tunnels? I just found out that I will be working on the Peninsula and living on the Southside and although I am not looking forward to the traffic, I don't see why I should be paying 80c and having others subsidise me.

The toll should be $2-3 or more and maybe $5-7 on peak periods (including Sunday afternoons). In fact they should raise it depending on traffic counts at a given bridge/tunnel and give people an incentive to use alternate routes or get off the freeway and wait till things die down. Phoebus could become a "destination pit stop" with a Barnes and Noble, a gym and some other stuff to lure commuters off the roads and shop until congestion/prices die down.

[vdogg]

WHAT THE BLEEP?  "An additional $50 vehicle registration fee?"  You have got to be kidding me or that must be a typo.  Would that be for just us (even though we don't get to vote on which option to choose?  And we have the ports but get none of the $$ back?).  VA registration is already absurd but $50 more a year?  Uhm I think I would be getting some NC plates pretty quickly along with a lot of other people.

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Yeah 50 is a bit steep. I almost choked on my coffee when i read that.

[rusthebuss]

Dude I think Richmond better start sending more of our needed money back! This is B.S. This is that good old boy up in Richmond stealing from our pockets again! 80 Cent on already paid bridges????? Give me a break! I wonder how much of that tolls go up to Richmond and stay up there.

Edited July 12, 2005 by rusthebuss

[mercuex]

Dude I think Richmond better start sending more of our needed money back! This is B.S. This is that good old boy up in Richmond stealing from our pockets again! 80 Cent on already paid bridges????? Give me a break! I wonder how much of that tolls go up to Richmond and stay up there.

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Grab your torches and pitchforks, folks!!

[urbanfan]

Grab your torches and pitchforks, folks!!

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I don't see why we cant just build the extension to Norfolk and tie it into the existing MMBT and then spend the 2 billion to widen the HRBT. That way we all win. 564 gets tied into 664 easing the port traffic and giving them direct access. 64 gets widened and relieves traffic load for another 5 years. Then the tolls on both bridges would at least be justified. Every on wins.

[lammius]

I think the financing approach is fairly comprehensive and responsible. Highway projects are expensive and with less and less money coming from Washington the onus is left on the people to fund them. The 80-cent toll is a bargain and if they build E-Z pass "full speed lanes" there won't be an adverse effect on congestion. The $50 registration hike seems steep but what are you guys paying now in Virginia? The gas tax increase is reasonable. I'd like to see traffic violation fines hiked to contribute to the transportation trust fund like they do here in NJ. The only thing i dislike is the general sales tax increase, as I feel there's an equity issue there.

The truth is you're not going to get your roads for free. You guys are lucky you've been able to avoid tolls/taxes/fees as long as you have. So cough up or don't complain about the traffic.

[rusthebuss]

I really don't complain about the traffic but what most of us are worried about is actually how much of that money is going to stay in HR for the roads fund. I think this is a way Richmond can dig a little bit deeper in HRs pockets and they are Known for that. They are a bunch of dirty rats and hope the strict 9 kills them!

[Former Resident of HR]

The 80-cent toll is a bargain and if they build E-Z pass "full speed lanes" there won't be an adverse effect on congestion.  The $50 registration hike seems steep but what are you guys paying now in Virginia?  The gas tax increase is reasonable.  I'd like to see traffic violation fines hiked to contribute to the transportation trust fund like they do here in NJ.  The only thing i dislike is the general sales tax increase, as I feel there's an equity issue there. 

The truth is you're not going to get your roads for free.  You guys are lucky you've been able to avoid tolls/taxes/fees as long as you have.  So cough up or don't complain about the traffic. 

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The 80c toll is a bargain... in fact, it's much to cheap. And in VA we pay about $35 a year to register cars, $25 for city sticker fees, and another fee for the personal property tax. So adding $50 more to everyone in the area is very unfair and regressive.

The largest compnent of funding should come from the ports and from tolls because that is directly linking the roads with the users. However, these projects will relieve traffic on the other routes so I think that there is some legal way to do it.

The reason that I think people here are annoyed is that there were tolls specifically designed to pay for projects and by law they must be removed when the project is completed. NY-NJ have a racket going on and rob people blind for what they get in return. $7 tolls to ride on the tunnels or bridges that look and feel as though they may collapse at any minute? No thanks. VDot is already corrupt and insipid as it is, we need to use NY's roads as a terrible example of what we don't want to become.

[rusthebuss]

Another thing is this is not NY and NJ and we don't have all the mode of transportation and we sure as hell don't have the high paying jobs that NYC has either. Comparing this area with NYC is wrong. Their is nothing in common between the two.

[hoobo]

Another thing is this is not NY and NJ and we don't have all the mode of transportation and we sure as hell don't have the high paying jobs that NYC has either. Comparing this area with NYC is wrong. Their is nothing in common between the two.

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Three words: Cost of Living.

There are several cost of living calculators out there (U.S. gov't, salary websites, job websites) but all use the same formula. According to them, I could make $15,000 to $20,000 less in HR and still maintain the same lifestyle as I have in SoCal. Go to NYC and you're paying more for Big Macs and lattes. If anything, the cost of living is better in HR than in NYC. But you're right on the transportation options.

[rusthebuss]

Bridge-Tunnel Commissioners OK Spending Guidelines

July 13, 2005, 01:51 PM Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission has issued rigid guidelines to limit commissioners' spending at public expense.

The changes follow reports last month that a group of commissioners spent lavishly on drinks and entertainment during a 2003 convention in Paris, including a trip to a cabaret with topless dancers at a cover price of 150-dollars per person.

The group left a 350-dollar tip that pushed the total night's bill to 2,200 dollars. Adopted Tuesday, the spending policy dictates employees and commissioners will be reimbursed no more than 45 dollars a day for food when they travel.

Rest of the story

[Former Resident of HR]

Bridge-Tunnel Commissioners OK Spending Guidelines

July 13, 2005, 01:51 PM  Email to a Friend  Printer Friendly Version   

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission has issued rigid guidelines to limit commissioners' spending at public expense.

The changes follow reports last month that a group of commissioners spent lavishly on drinks and entertainment during a 2003 convention in Paris, including a trip to a cabaret with topless dancers at a cover price of 150-dollars per person.

The group left a 350-dollar tip that pushed the total night's bill to 2,200 dollars. Adopted Tuesday, the spending policy dictates employees and commissioners will be reimbursed no more than 45 dollars a day for food when they travel.

Rest of the story

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How does one go about getting a job here again? I heard that they do nothing and go to exotic locations to see other tunnels all over the world. No wonder the toll rates went up to $12 one way...

[rusthebuss]

Bad news people for that Chesapeake and Vabeach expressway.

Story

[rusthebuss]

You guys see this B.S.!!! coupe you asked how Richmond gets more than its fair share! Look at this Link

This is crap and people wonder why I get pissed off. Why does Richmond need 190 million for road projects!!

[rusthebuss]

Freakin 39 million to over 190 million that fairly divided. Shoot even NOVA got screwed with only 100 million. We got the same amount of money as Southwestern Va. That just shows how much respect HR gets in this sorry @ss state.

[rusthebuss]

Am I the only guy in here that is completely outraged by this finding???

[sugoiben]

You guys see this B.S.!!! coupe you asked how Richmond gets more than its fair share! Look at this Link

This is crap and people wonder why I get pissed off. Why does Richmond need 190 million for road projects!!

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It said 190 Million for Central VA, which was including the I-81 upgrades. That doesn't surprise me too much. Been hearing for years that they want to widen 81 all the way thru the state. And I can't blame em honestly. It's a big trucking route. And it's only 2 lanes each way for most of it's length. Get stuck behind some slow trucks trying to get up a mountain, and ya realize why they want to add some lanes. Not that I entirely agree with the need myself, but I havn't driven 81 in a couple years, so can't say properly I suppose. But I can certainly understand the expense of it, being such a huge project. That accounts for 141.5 of the 193 million article said. Leaving 51.5 million for "Central" Va.

The numbers in that article don't add up though.

193 million - Central Va

100 million - NoVa

35 million - SW VA

39.4 million - HR(for 3rd crossing)

That only adds up to 367.4 and they stated that there was 430 earmarked for

high priority projects." Like the I-81, I-66, and 3rd crossing projects.

And that's out of a total of 936.8 per year. I'm guessing that HR and every other

part of the state is gonna see lots more cash, than just the specific numbers above. Maybe we'll come out even this time out, or maybe Richmond will hog it

all. Hafta see if there is a better breakdown of where that money's going out there somewhere.

[rusthebuss]

You know Richmond is going to hog it like they always do. Its a control issue.

[burt]

You know Richmond is going to hog it like they always do. Its a control issue.

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Richmond is a far piece from I-81, so if you subtract $141.5M from $193M, Central Virginia comes out with $54.5M.

BUT, Central Virginia covers a lot of territory - Charlottesville, Fredericksburg. Williamsburg, Emporia, Appomattox with Greater Richmond in the middle.

From figures I've seen, Greater Richmond comes off with approximately $20.2M.

[burt]

Rus and others, check out Worldcoupe4's entry at 11:18am yesterday on Richmond Region Transportation on the Richmond forum.

From my observation, the Channel 3 story you cite gives pittifully little detail about allottment of Federal Transportation funds for Hampton Roads. You all need better reporting down there. AND perhaps better representation in Congress!

Edited July 31, 2005 by burt

[wrldcoupe4]

You know Richmond is going to hog it like they always do. Its a control issue.

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Hey russ, sorry to rain on the pout parade, but you can't blame richmond for anything this time. This is FEDERAL money from Washington, not state transportation funds. The article about Richmond mentioned one of our congressman, eric cantor, working hard for the money for our region. 54.5 million...Hopefully you read the article of what the money is being used for in the Richmond forum.

[rusthebuss]

Hey russ, sorry to rain on the pout parade, but you can't blame richmond for anything this time. This is FEDERAL money from Washington, not state transportation funds. The article about Richmond mentioned one of our congressman, eric cantor, working hard for the money for our region. 54.5 million...Hopefully you read the article of what the money is being used for in the Richmond forum.

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So are you saying that Richmond doesn't control where the money gets distributed to??? VDOT has control of the funds and there for Richmond has control of the funds!

[urbanfan]

Found an interesting page on Vdot's site. Shows the new allocated money for transportation projects. If you scroll to the hampton roads section it breaks down a project list of where the money will be applied to. Third crossing is there. I think this shows that the project will be built. They are doing everything they can to get funding and with pinners point winding down and colliseum central doing the same, they could easily apply the money to this project.

Here is a link

[lammius]

Found an interesting page on Vdot's site.  Shows the new allocated money for transportation projects.  If you scroll to the hampton roads section it breaks down a project list of where the money will be applied to.  Third crossing is there.  I think this shows that the project will be built.  They are doing everything they can to get funding and with pinners point winding down and colliseum central doing the same, they could easily apply the money to this project.

Here is a link

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Reading news across the country it seems EVERYONE got hosed on this deal. Unfortunately we went from the promise of ISTEA in 1991, a groundbreaking measure that boosted transit/alternative modes, to 2005, another old-school highway bill (and a lowsy one at that).

[lammius]

So are you saying that Richmond doesn't control where the money gets distributed to??? VDOT has control of the funds and there for Richmond has control of the funds!

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Congress made the appropriations.