HRPTA Blog
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Road upgrades would float Navy’s boat, admiral says
Source: PilotOnline.com By Debbie Messina The Virginian-Pilot January 20, 2012 With more than 81,000 active-duty Navy sailors in Hampton Roads who rely on the transportation network to get to work, the commander of the Navy’s mid-Atlantic region told regional leaders Thursday that improvements must be made to reduce congestion and increase mobility. “In order to do what we need to do in this area, we need to have a reliable, efficient transportation system,” Rear Adm. T.G. Alexander told the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization. “We want to grow our presence here if the opportunity presents itself; we don’t want to [...]
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Commonwealth Transportation Board withdraws $5 million in unused funds
Source: Daily Press CHESAPEAKE — The Commonwealth Transportation Board has withdrawn $5 million in funding for Hampton Roads transportation projects that wasn’t being used. Aubrey Layne, the Hampton Roads CTB representative, made the announcement Thursday at the monthly meeting of the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization. He said a total of $17 million was “de-allocated” statewide “for projects that are not moving forward.” “If the money is assigned, we have to use it,” Layne told the panel of local, state and federal officials who have purview over regional transportation planning. According to the CTB website, $4.9 million in matching funds [...]
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Public Transit Riders to See Taxes Increase More Than $550 in 2012
Source: American Public Transportation Association American Public Transportation Association Calls on Congress to Correct Bias That Favors Driving over Taking Public Transit Due to Congressional inaction during last month’s tax deliberations, the new year ushered in a tax increase to public transit riders. Currently, commuters who use public transit, commuter buses and van pools may see their annual commuting costs increase by more than $550 based on a bias in the tax code that benefits driving over taking public transit. In addition, the failure to extend the benefit has resulted in a tax liability increase for companies offering the benefit. [...]
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U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Awards $186 Million to Illinois to Expand High-Speed Rail in the Midwest
Source: Federal Railroad Administration U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today awarded more than $186 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for a high-speed rail project that will reduce travel times and put Americans back to work this spring. “The Great Lakes-Midwest economic region is the world’s fifth largest economy by Gross Domestic Product, and nearly 100 million people live within 500 miles of each other,” said Secretary LaHood. “The Department of Transportation’s investment of more than $1 billion in the region’s high-speed rail service will reduce trip times and save travelers money, resulting in reduced congestion for the [...]
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HRT Plans To Boost Bus, Ferry Service as Toll Alternative #HRVA
Source: HRT By Debbie Messina The Virginian-Pilot December 14, 2011 Don’t want to pay tolls at the Downtown and Midtown tunnels starting next year? Mass transit may be an alternative. As part of the public-private deal to build a second Midtown tube, the private consortium will provide about $2.5 million each year to Hampton Roads Transit to improve bus and ferry service across the Elizabeth River. Service frequencies will be bolstered on two bus routes, from the Victory Crossing Transfer Center and from Tidewater Community College in Portsmouth, so that buses run every 15 minutes during peak hours. Those buses [...]
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Fairfax gives final approval needed for Dulles rail agreement
Source: Railway Track & Structures Fairfax gives final approval needed for Dulles rail agreement Thursday, December 08, 2011 The Virginia Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved changes to the funding agreement for the second phase of the Dulles Rail project, saving as much as an estimated $757 million in fees for Dulles Toll Road users. The board’s authorization was the final step needed to adopt the changes. The project’s other partners, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Loudoun County, Commonwealth of Virginia and U.S. Department of Transportation, agreed to the deal last month. “This strategy brings the cost of Phase 2 [...]
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Denver’s Eagle P3 commuter line receives $280 million federal loan
Source: Railway Track & Structures A federal loan of up to $280 million was awarded to advance construction on the 30-mile Eagle P3 commuter rail project, which will significantly expand transportation choices in the greater Denver area. “This loan brings Denver a step closer to completing this ambitious and far-reaching project that offers better transportation choices in one of the most densely populated regions of the country,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “We’re proud to promote a solid foundation for the region’s economic growth, while creating thousands of good jobs in Colorado.” The project is a two-pronged effort. The [...]
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Virginia (and Norfolk to Petersburg) Amtrak Service Funding Restored
Source: HamptonRoads.com By Debbie Messina The Virginian-Pilot December 2, 2011 Virginia will not lose the bulk of its Amtrak trains because of federal budget cuts as was feared. The new federal appropriations act restores the money the House originally eliminated for regional train service. Under the proposal, Virginia would have immediately lost 64 percent of its Amtrak trains, including Newport News service and the anticipated Norfolk service that’s to start in less than two years. State rail advocates, including Virginians for High Speed Rail and the Piedmont Rail Coalition, mounted letter-writing campaigns to congressional members to save the services. The [...]
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Obama Calls for Swift Passage of SAFETEA-LU Extension
President Obama urged Congress to pass an extension of the surface transportation authorization legislation before it expires Sept. 30. He explained the need to preserve and create jobs by investing in infrastructure. Acknowledging that the amount spent on infrastructure has decreased while the population of America has more than doubled, he urged for immediate renewal of the gas tax and a new conversation on America’s infrastructure future. APTA President William Millar applauded Obama for calling on Congress to pass an extension prior to Sept. 30. “Investing in public transportation creates jobs and provides easy access to jobs necessary to move [...]
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VDOT to Host Citizen Information Meetings for Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Environmental Impact Statement
Source: VDOT Meetings Scheduled in Norfolk and Hampton on July 18 and 19, Respectively RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will host citizen information meetings regarding the agency’s study of the Interstate 64 Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT) corridor from I-664 in Hampton to I-564 in Norfolk (approximately 11 miles). The purpose of the study is to identify transportation needs within the corridor and to evaluate the impact of proposed improvements to meet those needs. An Environmental Impact Statement is being prepared as part of this study in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The study [...]
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House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Republicans Release Outline of New Authorization Proposal
House Democrats and Senate Committee Leaders Also Hold Press Events Regarding Authorization House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman John Mica (R-FL) held a press conference Thursday morning to release an outline of his six-year authorization proposal. This proposal adheres to the fiscal constraints established by the House Budget Resolution and would authorize approximately $230 billion over six years from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which is about $35 billion annually for highway and transit programs. This funding level is a one-third cut from current levels and represents a 19.5 percent cut from the $286 billion authorized over six years [...]
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Wondering What Transportation Projects Are Funded or Proposed for Hampton Roads?
Download the Hampton Roads 2034 Long-range Transportation Plan / Transportation Project Priorities full plan document (75.4 MB) here, produced by our friends at the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization. The Hampton Roads 2034 Long-range Transportation Plan / Transportation Project Priorities summary document (1.2 MB) can be downloaded here. Tip for Hampton Roads tunnel followers: The Patriots Crossing (or Third Crossing) information is on page 85 of the full plan document. Be Sociable, Share! Tweet
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USDOT: $175M in Transit Grants On The Way
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News USDOT to provide $175 million in transit grants Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced plans to provide up to $175 million in “livability” grants to help urban, suburban and rural communities develop transit options. The grant program will begin accepting applications next week, USDOT officials said in a prepared statement. Local transit agencies will be able to compete for grants from the pool. The grant announcement was made on the second anniversary on the creation of the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which is a collaboration between the departments of Transportation and Housing [...]
