Hampton Roads Transportation

[Former Resident of HR]

Your cell phone sends out a signal so that when someone calls you, your cell carrier knows to which tower to route the call. Imagine if traffic services could monitor these signals as anonymous sources to determine traffic flows. In today's New York Times, it was reported that in the next month or so, VDOT plans to test a cell-phone based traffic monitoring system along the "Norfolk beltway". Have fun with that.

Good! It's about time that the cell phone users are put to good use. Seriously, a lot of us that drive the tunnels daily would like a more frequently updated version of what is going on in traffic. The phone line only updates every 20 minutes and a lot of the cameras will often focus on something (like a stalled car in the shoulder) that helps police but not commuters. I am sure that there will be sqawks about privacy being invaded, but if you are so worried about that why would you be using a cell phone anyway?

[okinawatyphoon]

Transportation projects, with focus on freight, get nod

[rusthebuss]

I commute too from the southside to the pennisula. Hopefully when I finish my degree I will be working back on this side. They do need the third crossing and the HRBT needs to be widen.

[babiko]

Two days a week, I commute from Newport News (Hidenwood area) to the Great Bridge section of Chesapeake ussing 664 to 64, and it can be grueling. 664 is not the problem but once I get to the Bowers Hill interchange towards the High Rise Bridge, it is dreadfull, 20 minutes sometimes to travel four miles. I am surprised that no one really talks about the traffic on that stretch of 64 in Chesapeake. I feel as if the back ups on the HR bridge rival those on the HRBT sometimes.

Interesting to note, I have started to see back ups on the MMBT, going towards the Peninsula in the AM and going towards Suffolk PM, especially summertime. Also 664 in the PM heading north from Bowers Hill to wards Suffolk can slow to a crawl. In time that whole area will need to be widened.

[rusthebuss]

Two days a week, I commute from Newport News (Hidenwood area) to the Great Bridge section of Chesapeake ussing 664 to 64, and it can be grueling. 664 is not the problem but once I get to the Bowers Hill interchange towards the High Rise Bridge, it is dreadfull, 20 minutes sometimes to travel four miles. I am surprised that no one really talks about the traffic on that stretch of 64 in Chesapeake. I feel as if the back ups on the HR bridge rival those on the HRBT sometimes.

Interesting to note, I have started to see back ups on the MMBT, going towards the Peninsula in the AM and going towards Suffolk PM, especially summertime. Also 664 in the PM heading north from Bowers Hill to wards Suffolk can slow to a crawl. In time that whole area will need to be widened.

With the proposed 3rd crossing that is suppose to be widen for a good stretch. So if this 3rd crossing does blossom you will get your wish. Not too many of us live in Chesapeake so that is why you don't hear too many of us talk about it. Most of us are in Norfolk and Vabeach that dwell on this site. Oh and Go Redskins!

[vdogg]

Time running out for regions transportation projects

We need to hurry up and get the ball rolling on this, even if it means higher taxes.

[rusthebuss]

Time running out for regions transportation projects

We need to hurry up and get the ball rolling on this, even if it means higher taxes.

People don't trust the people up in Richmond. They can't guarantee that the funds will stay in this region only. People fear this money will just start disappearing like alot things that happen here.

[Former Resident of HR]

What they need to do is what is best for the people who use the freeways and roadways. Do we need a 3rd crossing to relieve congestion on the HRBT? NO. Does the port (and thus they state seeing as they suck all the profits away) need it? YES.

I live in Norfolk and drive to the Peninsula for work. I take the Midtown and the HRBT every day, against the flow of traffic. I have a shorter commute than when I was in VA Beach and had to go to Norfolk every day.

What I think about on these daily drives is this:

1. Why can't we expand the HRBT and the MMBT with an extra reversable tube? Or expand the HRBT because that is the tunnel that EVERYONE uses during the tourist rush. Because why take the MMBT when you end up getting stuck in the traffic for the MIDTOWN TUNNEL or on the Highrise Bridge? And what are plans to improve access to the JRB? It goes from Mercury Blvd to podunk USA. It is close enough to provide relief from the MMBT if the road access is there.

2. Why don't they do "smart tolling" where the more congested the area, the higher the toll and the lower the traffic, the less the toll? Across the board flat rates are stupid and don't discourage non essential trips as much as this would. Also, what about commuter rates?

3. Finally, HOW IN THE WORLD ARE THEY CONSDIERING CHARGING TOLLS FOR ROADS THAT WILL NOT BE DONE FOR 10+ YEARS? With VDOT running the show, we'll se nothing for at least a decade, maybe more. Do we pay mortgages/rent 5-10 years before we move into a new house? Do you pay car payments for the car that you are going to buy in two years? No! So why in the world will we be paying tolls for something so far off in the distance? What we will get will be something like the NY system where they are paying indefinately for their crapped out tunnels and bridges that are in a constant state of disrepair.

[rusthebuss]

Yeah it will end up in Richmond somewhere. We will be paying on these roads forever. That is what everyone fears and they know the money will not stay here to pay for our roads but end up for some project up in Richmond. People here are not stupid and with the track record of VDOT and money I wouldn't trust them.

[mercuex]

This is an interesting read on high speed rail in Virginia Business Magazine. For the optimists of the group, it's a mouth-watering kind of article and it will make ya'll hop up in down in your seat in anticipation - just don't let you boss see you or else he may get wind of you doing UrbanPlanet all day instead of the work you don't do.

My problem with these kind of articles is the "Popular Science effect" - it makes you feel like we're on the verge of something really amazing and it just never materializes. At this point, I just get pissed off reading these things because then I feel like I'm reading a PopSci article on personal spaceships or something.

If you think it's worthwhile, check out Virginians for High Speed Rail ... though I don't know if they've really made any progress since they've been around. What did I do? I emailed Virgin Trains (in the UK) and pleaded for them to come here. It might be worthwhile (if we were organized somehow) to lobby with Wolsley North America (now based in NN) to talk to their London-based counterparts in getting the chaps up at Virgin interested in Virginia.

Thoughts?

[Padman]

I wish we had better alternatives to air travel. The two major problems that I see are that you have to buy up land in congested corridors to get nice, straight track for fast trains; and most origins and destinations are auto centered. If you could rent cars at train terminals that might help, but only the largest cities have transit systems to accommodate visitors. I wonder if more regional jets and more airports might be a better answer for highly developed parts of the country, with high speed rail for the western states.

[vdogg]

Senate approves Hampton Roads tolling authority

[erdogs]

Senate approves Hampton Roads tolling authority

I beleive that is the best way to pay for all these enormous projects, I would consider this a user fee.

[Former Resident of HR]

I beleive that is the best way to pay for all these enormous projects, I would consider this a user fee.

I believe that this is a terrible way to pay for enormous projects that the ENTIRE STATE will benefot from. If it is a "user fee" then they should A) give the users RELIEF before imposing a TAX (which is what the toll is) and B) give the VOTERS and CHOICE in what route they want. And if we pay "user fees" why not put a toll on every road in the country so that everyone pays their fare share?

This is a prime example of how our lacluster representation (both Dem and Rep) brings back NOTHING for the area. I work on the Southside and commute to the Peninsula daily. When the tolls go into place, I will already have found a job down here because I refuse to pay $3-5 a day to drive to work. My job was already talking about vouchers for commuters that they would be willing to provide. I can afford it but the principal of paying 5 years before a tunnel is even built is beyond my comprehension. Other less qualified people will not have that opportunity/choice and this will have a very detrimental effect on them. Especially when they make less than $40K a year.

The whole state benefits from having a new port system built and they do not want to pay for the road projects. The whole country benefits from having Naval ships not blocked in by bridges. Yet the commuters end up paying for all these overhyped, overpriced white elephants that VDot wants to have completed 30-50 years from now.

If it was a private company building everything it would probably be a 25

Edited February 10, 2006 by JPN0731

[erdogs]

I believe that this is a terrible way to pay for enormous projects that the ENTIRE STATE will benefot from. If it is a "user fee" then they should A) give the users RELIEF before imposing a TAX (which is what the toll is) and B) give the VOTERS and CHOICE in what route they want. And if we pay "user fees" why not put a toll on every road in the country so that everyone pays their fare share?

This is a prime example of how our lacluster representation (both Dem and Rep) brings back NOTHING for the area. I work on the Southside and commute to the Peninsula daily. When the tolls go into place, I will already have found a job down here because I refuse to pay $3-5 a day to drive to work. My job was already talking about vouchers for commuters that they would be willing to provide. I can afford it but the principal of paying 5 years before a tunnel is even built is beyond my comprehension. Other less qualified people will not have that opportunity/choice and this will have a very detrimental effect on them. Especially when they make less than $40K a year.

The whole state benefits from having a new port system built and they do not want to pay for the road projects. The whole country benefits from having Naval ships not blocked in by bridges. Yet the commuters end up paying for all these overhyped, overpriced white elephants that VDot wants to have completed 30-50 years from now.

If it was a private company building everything it would probably be a 25

Edited February 11, 2006 by erdogs

[lil-bear]

The General Assembly needs to commit more revenue to this area simply because the state runs the seaport terminals. It's funny how the House of Delegates only want's to commit $500M a year for transportation for the whole state. Thats not even a drop in the bucket for the list of projects we need. The 3rd crossing and another Mid-town Tunnel will be used by most of the traffic from the port terminals.

State government needs to step up and govern!!!

[mercuex]

What the hell? This state is in a bonanza! We're running a hell of a surplus and all anyone can talk about is raising more money, as though that will wave a wand at the transportation problem. VDOT's funding has done something like triple in the last decade and what do we have to show for it? We need to stop thinking that throwing money at the problem will somehow cure our problems when this state wastes an enormous quantity of money each year on crap! Here's an eye-opening article from the Times Dispatch on that very thing.

Considered entirely on its own, a hiking or horse-riding trail might be a fine endeavor. So might a visitors' center, or, oh, the Surface Transportation Safety Center of Excellence at Virginia Tech, which was the recipient of a $3-million earmark. Or the Bristol Train Station, the preservation of which was granted a $1.4-million earmark. And indeed, Senator John Warner released a statement last year praising the appropriations for these "critical transportation needs," while his colleague, George Allen, pronounced himself "thrilled that these vital federal funds will be flowing into Virginia."

If transportation money existed in infinite supply, then these critical and vital transportation projects would deserve every last cent. But money is not infinite. According to state leaders, it is in extremely short supply (despite a hefty revenue surplus). Given that, the state's elected officials should be asking themselves which projects deserve the most urgent attention. Odds are water-mill preservation wouldn't be at the top of the list.

THE TRANSPORTATION bill is certainly not the only one that contains wasteful spending. Last year's agriculture bill included hundreds of in wasteful pork-barrel projects, and hundreds of millions more in corporate-welfare farm subsidies. The energy bill contained $2 billion in favors to the ethanol industry alone. Each of those outlays costs taxpayers twice: once through the expenditure itself, and once through the opportunity cost -- the price paid by forgoing worthy investment. The wasted money could have been put to productive use in other areas, such as transportation. But it wasn't.

Read it all.

If anything, our General Assembly has become addicted to spending and decidedly uninterested in being held accountable for funding ridiculous, non-essential earmarks. And what is Tim Kaine's brilliant solution? Taxing! And it isn't even user fee based taxes - there's no distinction between someone buying a car who (like me) can walk and take the bus most of the time and someone who commutes every day from Richmond to DC. I actually was fairly optimistic about Kaine before, but I feel that this is just the wrong way. There is a better way.

The first thing this state needs to do is to carefully and earnestly reevaluate all the crap we spend our money on before talking about throwing more and more money. We complain a lot about this state giving an inordinate amount to the Richmond bigwigs, but maybe the solution means we have to get to the root of it all and give the localities more control (and thus the grassroots) to handle their own finances as best they see fit. Maybe it's a start.

(By the way, I have to say - putting 3 dollar tolls at the bridge tunnels in HR will only split the region even further. When in NN I rarely go to Norfolk except when I worked there last summer, but I'd be even less inclined if there were a toll involved. I don't carry cash.)

[rusthebuss]

Very well said! I agree with you 100%. That is the problem with Democrats is they think throwing money at it will solve it and cover the extra money for the mismangement of the funds!

[VAGATOR]

Everything on the Hampton Roads Wish List, except for the third crossing can be built with reasonable tolls. There is an obvious lack of revenue dictated to roads that needs to solved ASAP.

[willy]

Dear Governor Kaine

Hampton Roads as a region has received 20 percent less road funding per capita than Richmond over the past 10 years. In terms of funding from the state, we’ve received $1,346 per person over 10 years for new road construction and improvements, yet a citizen of Richmond received more than $1,687. If we crunch the numbers, Hampton Roads is owed nearly $423 million for road construction.

The roadways in Richmond are substantially better than the ones here in Hampton Roads. According to The Road Information Project (TRIP), it costs $1,000 a year to operate a car in Richmond and $1,300 a year in Hampton Roads due to poor road safety, increased congestion and vehicle wear.

[rusthebuss]

Is this enough proof for you Coupe? I knew we were getting the shaft!!!!!!!

[wrldcoupe4]

I'd like to see the sources cuz I'd be interested in what else they say, but I'm glad to finally see some damn numbers !

It still doesn't change the fact that I believe that no area of the state should be short-changed by the STATE government. but thanks for singling me out...

[rusthebuss]

I'd like to see the sources cuz I'd be interested in what else they say, but I'm glad to finally see some damn numbers !

It still doesn't change the fact that I believe that no area of the state should be short-changed by the STATE government. but thanks for singling me out...

I wasn't singling you out but you asked for proof and the article does state that. I can't believe that you are in disbelief but its the truth.

But HR is getting short changed in every way with the state! Its not just my conspiracy theory but the facts point to it and I'm tired of it.

[wrldcoupe4]

dude I'm not in disbelief! Wanting to read and gather more information from the guy's sources does not = disbelief.

What else do you want me to say? I think it's wrong... I've said that since the beginning.

[mercuex]

Let's not jump on coupe. I think he's probably as confused as anyone, considering that one would think with the extra money up here in the RIC, it would be used more responsibly.

We shouldn't forget that out of all of Virginia, no one gets shafted like NOVA. Now I'm not much of a fan of the place and frankly, I think it's basically Maryland with lower taxes and unemployment. Point is, they dish out a great deal more money than they get back. I wonder how much of that goes to Richmond? Southside? Hampton Roads?

I think the problem is the state having so much control on local money. Of course it makes sense to put the money where its needed, but in such large quantities make for all sorts of trouble. We need to bring fiscal accountability back to the grassroots level instead of being entrenched in Richmond or, worse, Washington. Our tax money is too important to trust the capital mandarins with it.