RD465 - VTrans 2035: Virginia’s Long-Range Multimodal Transportation Plan


Executive Summary:
*This report was replaced in its entirety by Commonwealth Transportation Board on February 8, 2010.

The Context

A quality, well-connected transportation system is critical to the Commonwealth’s long-term economic competitiveness, environment, safety, and security and to improving mobility and the overall quality of life for its citizens. Every five years, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) develops a strategic long-range transportation plan known as VTrans. This strategic planning document sets forth the transportation vision, needs, priorities, and strategies for the next 25 years.

“Virginians are grappling with increased congestion on the roads, under-funded transit systems, missed opportunities for rail, and inadequate resources to meet infrastructure needs.” That is the opening line of the VTrans2025 report published in November 2004. Five years later, things have changed - some for the better, but some for the worse. VTrans2025 recommended:

• More investment in transit and rail. As a result, a dedicated rail capital fund was established and new funds were dedicated to rail and transit spending.

• Strengthened planning processes, especially integration of transportation and land use. As a result, new access management standards, secondary street acceptance requirements, and traffic impact analysis regulations were adopted. In addition, local governments were authorized to impose road impact fees and required to designate urban development areas as well as regional transportation and land use performance measures.

• A substantial increase in the Commonwealth’s investment in transportation. No action has been taken on this recommendation.

Despite declining revenues, Virginia has continued to make strategic investments in transportation. The Commonwealth has been ranked as the “Best State for Business” for the last four years. However, without continuing strategic investments, this ranking could be in jeopardy.

The impact of years of underinvesting in transportation, made more acute by current economic conditions, is now becoming painfully clear. As problems and needs grow, the cost of addressing them will not stay static, but will increase. Taking no action on the transportation funding crisis does not maintain the status quo; it moves Virginia backwards and results in a more expensive backlog of needs in the future.

Transportation is a good long-term investment that promotes economic growth. Virginia receives $4 in return for every $1 it invests in transportation. A quality transportation system means not only that the economy thrives, but also that parents are not late in picking up children, seniors have travel choices, and young drivers travel on safe roads.

Virginia must take action immediately to address the funding crisis. VTrans2035 has identified priority investment actions that Virginia must take to have a robust, quality transportation system. For Virginia’s vision for the future to become reality it must have adequate funding.

The Vision

Today’s current economic conditions have to be recognized, but they should not constrain the future. It is even more important in difficult and challenging times to have a clear picture of desired future outcomes so that every investment decision can be considered against the ultimate goals.

An effective strategic planning exercise must start with a vision for the future. The outlook for the future has changed since the last strategic plan known as VTrans2025 was completed. The world is dealing with a major economic crisis, climate change has become a nationally recognized issue, and fuel prices are on their way upward again after topping $4 a gallon last year. Virginia is not immune to these developments.

Fundamentally, Virginia’s transportation system must be safe, reliable, and seamless. It will use state-of-the-art technology to communicate information in a variety of ways, increasing the safety and effectiveness of all transportation modes.

Major Issues

Congestion ranks as a major issue for Virginians who live and work in the Commonwealth’s metropolitan areas. At the same time, long-term trends in fuel consumption are adversely affecting traditional funding mechanisms for transportation investment that not only deprive metropolitan areas of needed investment, but also jeopardize needed access and mobility in the more rural regions of Virginia. VTrans2035 must recognize these changes and provide both fundamental improvements and new innovations to address Virginia’s transportation challenges.

Over the next 25 years, Virginia’s pattern of growth could go in one of two directions. If past patterns continue without change, Virginia will have dispersed, sprawling, low-density development across a great deal of its land area, with major corridors overwhelmed by transportation demand generated from scattered residential, commercial, and industrial development. Alternatively, Virginia can organize its growth around relatively compact activity centers, each with a balanced and healthy mix of development, connected by free-flowing rail, transit, and highway corridors providing access and mobility using the most advanced, efficient, and competitive technologies.

There are seven VTrans2035 goals, all important to a quality transportation system. These include safety and security; system maintenance and preservation; mobility, connectivity, and accessibility; environmental stewardship; economic vitality; coordination of transportation and land use; and program delivery. For quality of life and economic vitality to occur, a change in past practices is necessary to create compact activity centers that reduce trip lengths and support other modes of transportation.

VTrans2035 Investment Priorities

• Make Strategic Investment in Infrastructure for the Future. There are many important transportation needs throughout Virginia, but looking forward, some will enhance significantly the Commonwealth’s future. There are several examples of these crucial game-changing infrastructure investments, and four are offered as examples because of their potential impacts on both a regional and statewide basis. These are: 1) investment in high speed rail and more rail service in the dense portions of the I-95 corridor; 2) investment in freight rail in the I-81 corridor; 3) tunnel and bridge improvements in Hampton Roads; and 4) smart system technology leadership.

• Address Environmental, Safety, and Maintenance Needs. Infrastructure must be safe and reliable. The core safety and maintenance responsibilities of the transportation agencies must be satisfied in order for all other goals to be met. Pavements, bridges, and transit fleets must be in good condition and repair, ready to serve Virginia’s travelers. There will be zero tolerance for further degradation of Virginia’s environment.

• Enhance Economic Competitiveness. Being economically competitive is about attracting jobs and businesses. Infrastructure is essential to supporting economic productivity. Virginia has two major transportation assets that are also global economic engines – Dulles International Airport and the Port of Virginia – that require vastly improved surface transportation access. Being economically competitive is also about enhancing rural connectivity through improved multimodal connections and broadband access as well as moving people and goods through major activity centers.

• Minimize Congestion. Congestion has a chokehold on some of Virginia’s major urban centers and is adding pressure to suburban and rural corridors. Virginia can minimize congestion in several ways by: encouraging sustainable development patterns; using pricing, advanced technology, and transportation demand management to reduce and manage traffic demands; and increasing transit and rail service that is supported by transit-oriented development patterns.

The priorities require a sustained, dedicated investment in transportation. As funds are sought, advancement can be made in improved processes and decisions.

• Enhanced Planning Processes. Although what the next round of federal transportation authorization will contain is uncertain, expectations are that future legislation will call for more local and regional decision-making. Therefore, there is the need for continued multi-agency involvement for effective transportation planning and a dynamic partnership with regional planning organizations and local jurisdictions that control development patterns.

Implementation of coordination of land use and transportation requires several enhancements to the planning process including:

– Development of regional transportation and land use performance measures and goals for urban regions and prioritization of transportation funds for improvements to help meet established goals;

– Consideration of regional transportation and land use performance measures in the allocation of primary formula and discretionary funds;

– Establishment of an Integrated Transportation/Land Use Grant Program to:

* Provide funding for transportation improvements to local governments with land use plans that encourage compact developments;

* Provide funding to regional organizations to complete detailed land use scenario plans; and

* Assist local governments with implementation of transfer of development rights programs and designation of urban development areas.

– Establishment of a Transit Enhancement Fund, similar to the existing Rail Enhancement Fund, to provide funding for the expansion of transit service where local governments provide supportive local development commitments.

• Improved Tools. The current economic crisis has crystallized the importance of investments that support economic growth and reduce congestion. VTrans2035 recommends that the assessment of economic impacts of transportation investments be incorporated more rigorously into analyses and multimodal decision-making.

Corridors of Statewide Significance

The Corridors of Statewide Significance (CoSS) represent multimodal connections to the Commonwealth’s activity centers. This system consists of corridors to help people and goods move between Virginia’s regions and to areas outside Virginia. The corridors are transportation facilities that must be protected to ensure appropriate levels of mobility to allow for long-distance travel. Legislation (S 1398) enacted by the General Assembly in 2009 and signed by Governor Kaine requires the corridors to be designated by the CTB and for local governments to note the corridors on transportation maps and in comprehensive plans.

The form, location, and design of improvements to a corridor play a critical role in determining whether or not the corridor will function appropriately in the future. For example, when a new highway is built or an existing highway improved, measures such as access management and parallel roadways for local traffic can be used to ensure that the highway will serve long-distance travel. Conversely, improperly developed corridors can spur local growth, turning it into a “Main Street,” reducing the benefit of the Commonwealth’s investment and perpetuating development patterns that degrade the highway’s original function.

There are 11 existing CoSS throughout Virginia. In the future, some may be added or deleted. The purpose of the CoSS is to provide a multimodal statewide perspective to guide localities in their land use and transportation plans. Virginia must take steps now to ensure the appropriate balance of development, transportation capacity, and natural resources. The CoSS are a first step in ensuring that these corridors are invested in and protected for the future benefit of the entire Commonwealth, as called for in HB 2019 by the General Assembly in 2009. The extent to which a locality’s land use plan protects the functionality of the corridor will be considered as part of the funding process.

From Vision to Strategies to Priorities to Reality

For VTrans2035 to become a reality, work must continue, and that requires not only financial resources, but also staff resources. The Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI), responsible for overseeing the development of the statewide transportation plan, should continue and the number of staff increased to monitor progress on a VTrans2035 Action Plan that must be developed. The VTrans Multimodal Advisory Committee should continue and Committee members must actively assist with multi-agency coordination. The policy guidance provided by VTrans2035 will also be translated into more specific plans through the preparation of Virginia’s Surface Transportation Plan (integration of highway, transit, rail, pedestrian, and bicycle plans) as well as the modal plans of the Virginia Port Authority and Department of Aviation.

Over the next 25 years, Virginia will face significant transportation pressures. These pressures include continuing challenges of adequate revenues, identifying innovative solutions to accommodate future growth, maintaining an aging transportation system, and higher energy prices. Other states and countries will continue to innovate and invest in their transportation systems to improve their standing. The Commonwealth must be aggressive to maintain its existing infrastructure and make strategic investments to continue to enhance Virginia’s quality of life and economic competitiveness.

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The VTrans2035 Report reflects the findings of a series of technical reports as well as discussions with stakeholders on Virginia’s critical transportation issues, input from agency reviews, and input from the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The technical reports referenced in the body of the report are available on the web ( http://www.vtrans.org).