HD50 - Construction of a Superhighway Along Virginia's Southern Boundary
Executive Summary: Even a superficial examination of the economics and demographics of South-central and Southwest Virginia (see, for example, data presented on p. 3 of this report) will suffice to show that these regions lag behind the remainder of the Commonwealth in economic development. A similarly cursory look at a map will also show that these areas lack the modem east-west highway infrastructure without which even the most carefully considered campaign to attract new industry, expand employment opportunities, and diversify the regional economy is bound to fail. On the other hand, if adequate resources were made available to provide a safe, efficient, modem highway linking Southwest and South-central Virginia to Virginia's most potent economic resource -- the port of Hampton Roads -along the Commonwealth's southern boundary (the existing US Route 58 Corridor), the potential business and manufacturing sites of Southern Virginia would not only be linked to the Virginia market, but also to the broader eastern United States market, and the whole world market as well. Similarly, such an additional access route would open all of Southern Virginia for tourism and recreational travel, literally, from the mountains to the sea, while vastly improving local transportation as well. In approving House Joint Resolution No. 172 and requesting a joint subcommittee to consider these matters, the General Assembly specifically asked that consideration be given to the desirability and feasibility of financing construction of such a highway with nonhighway revenues. After considering the merits and difficulties inherent in this and other approaches, the Joint Subcommittee recommends that the project be undertaken, not with general fund revenues, but with Transportation Trust Fund revenues, by setting aside 8.4 percent of the revenues raised by the 1986 Special Session of the General Assembly as the US Route 58 Corridor Development Fund. This would make available to this project the same amount of state revenue presently dedicated to the support of mass transit in Virginia. The Joint Subcommittee is persuaded that the reductions this approach would cause in funding of other highway projects across the Commonwealth would be more than offset by the economic benefits which would accrue, not only along the Corridor, but ultimately to all Virginians. Having recommended the broad outline of a US Route 58 Corridor development program, the Joint Subcommittee believes that matters of priorities, route, design, scheduling, and other details should be left to the Commonwealth Transportation Board and the Department of Transportation. |
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