RD391 - Virginia Department of Transportation Annual Report Pursuant to Chapters 36 and 152 of the 2011 Acts of Assembly of the Virginia General Assembly


Executive Summary:
Chapters 36 and 152 of the 2011 Acts of Assembly amended the Code of Virginia by adding § 33.1-13.03, which directs that by November 30 of each year the Commissioner of Highways is to deliver a report summarizing the condition and needs of the Commonwealth’s highway system and the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT’s) strategies to improve safety and security, and increase efficiency in delivery of its programs. The statute also instructs VDOT to report on efforts to work with the private sector and local government in the delivery of services, and to report on the operating and financial activities of the Department. Finally, Virginia Code section 33.1-13.03 instructs that VDOT report on “other such matters of importance to transportation in the Commonwealth.”

The 2012 VDOT Annual Report is published pursuant to section 33.1-13.03. The body of the Annual report is comprised of four chapters. Chapter I highlights the current condition and the FY 2014 - 2015 biennial needs of Virginia’s highway system.

Chapter II summarizes VDOT’s efforts to improve the safety of the motoring and non-motoring public. Chapter II also presents an overview of VDOT’s security programs and protocols. This section is followed by an overview of VDOT’s strategies to increase efficiency in delivery of its programs. VDOT’s efforts in working with the private sector and local governments are presented in the two final sections of Chapter II.

Chapter III summarizes budget performance data on the operating and financial activities of VDOT for the reporting period FY 2012 (July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012).

Chapter IV presents “Other Matters of Importance to Transportation in the Commonwealth.” VDOT believes that agency activities, as they relate or contribute to multimodal systems warrant mention in this report, and Chapter IV summarizes VDOT’s role in support of the development of effective multimodal systems. In the effort to take advantage of all available financial resources to aid in pursuit of the Commonwealth’s transportation program, VDOT actively pursued and assisted other non-VDOT entities in pursuing several federal competitive grant opportunities in FY 2012. A summary of those efforts and the results are also presented in Chapter IV.

A new federal transportation program was enacted in July 2012, becoming effective on October 1, 2012. The new federal program, “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” or “MAP-21” is a two year reauthorization. As the 2012 VDOT Annual Report is being written, the Federal Highway Administration has begun to release guidance to the states based on MAP-21 changes, and VDOT is reviewing and revising several of its programs and policies accordingly. It is too early to provide a comprehensive discussion of MAP-21’s impact on VDOT programs and procedures; however, MAP-21 impacts are highlighted throughout the report while the final section of Chapter IV presents a summary comparison of the major elements of MAP-21 and the former federal program, the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).