12/18/09-With transportation revenues seemingly drying up in Virginia, the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted this week to slash $893.5 million from the six-year transportation plan.
Since spring 2008, state highway money has declined by $4.6 billion, which has forced the Virginia Department of Transportation to make adjustments to their spending plans on five occasions. The gap between needs and available funding continues to widen by the month.
Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer described the state’s predicament as trying to do six years worth of work with five years worth of revenue. He said the changes reflect the harsh realities facing the state.
“We are able to prioritize and advance only a small fraction of the needed transportation improvements,” Homer said in a statement. “The easy decisions are long behind us. We are now faced with ever-more challenging choices about what needs we simply will not be able to meet due to our shrinking resources.”
Much of the blame for the declining revenue has been placed on the fuel tax, vehicle sales tax and titling fees brining in less money.
To reach the $893.5 million in savings during the next six years there are cuts in areas that include roadway maintenance, highway construction, administrative services and mass transit.
In addition to cutting back on paving projects and maintenance, the transportation department also plans to ease administrative costs, reduce payments to localities that are responsible for the upkeep of their roads and lay off more workers. 
To help the state cope with fewer funds available for transportation work, Virginia is counting on getting $5.5 billion in federal matching funds through 2015. However, states are responsible for putting up a portion of their own money to secure the federal funds. Virginia officials say they don’t even have that money.
When Governor-elect Bob McDonnell is sworn in to office in January and the General Assembly convenes the 2010 session, they will be confronted with how to eat into the road funding gap, which gets wider as lawmakers wrestle with how to address replenishing the fund.
Among the options to boost funding that McDonnell is expected to pursue during his term are tolls on Interstates 85 and 95 and tapping into public-private partnerships. He said he also wants to reroute money going to other sources for transportation as well as privatizing Alcoholic Beverage Control stores and dedicating the proceeds to transportation.
McDonnell has said all along he is opposed to tax hikes.

11/25/09-Transportation revenues are not flowing bountifully in Virginia. As a result, the state Department of Transportation has proposed slashing $851.5 million from the six-year transportation plan.
Since spring 2008, state highway money has declined by $4.6 billion, which is forcing VDOT to make adjustments to their spending plans.
To reach the $851.5 million in savings there are cuts being sought in areas that include roadway maintenance ($277 million), highway construction ($255 million), administrative services ($115 million) and mass transit ($46 million).
The proposed cuts during the next six years will require approval from the Commonwealth Transportation Board as early as next month. After the board acts, VDOT will make final decisions on how to reduce spending.
In addition to cutting back on paving projects and maintenance, the transportation department also plans to ease administrative costs this year, reduce payments to localities that are responsible for the upkeep of their roads and layoff more workers. 
To help the state cope with fewer funds available for transportation work, Virginia is counting on getting $5.5 billion in federal matching funds through 2015. However, states are responsible for putting up a portion of their own money to secure the federal funds. Virginia officials say they don’t even have that money.
When Governor-elect Bob McDonnell is sworn in to office in January and the General Assembly convenes the 2010 session, they will be confronted with how to eat into the road funding gap, which gets wider as lawmakers wrestle with how to address replenishing the fund.instead of waiting until the fifth offense in some cases. A first-time offender would face a $300 fine only if a child under 16 is in the vehicle.
Ignition interlocks would be required for repeat offenders, as well as first-time offenders with blood-alcohol levels of at least 0.15 percent – nearly double the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
In addition, second- and third-time offenders could reduce their time behind bars by completing drug and alcohol treatment.
Because Assembly and Senate lawmakers must work out what are described as “minor differences,” the delay is likely to prevent the legislation from being signed into law until after the first of the year. Gov. Doyle has said he supports the bill.
For bill status, call 608-266-1803. In Wisconsin, call 800-362-9472.