Central Valley Gets $40M In Gov.’s Plan
Transportation Package Yet To Pass In GA
Posted: January 23, 2013
HARRISONBURG — The central Valley would get more than $40 million worth of road and bridge upgrades under Gov. Bob McDonnell’s long-term transportation funding proposal.
The governor’s office released the proposal Tuesday morning that includes a list of projects that would be paid for under the plan.
Dubbed “Virginia’s Road to the Future,” the plan would provide the Virginia Department of Transportation with about $1.28 billion in new state funding for 158 recommended highway projects.
The proposal also would provide a little more than $1 billion in new funds for rail and transit projects. In addition, the plan would prevent approximately $500 million of projects in the existing six-year improvement program from being delayed due to a downturn in revenue projections.
McDonnell recently unveiled his transportation funding plan, which calls for scrapping the 17.5-cent gas tax and replacing it with a 0.8 percent increase in the state sales tax. That, the governor says, would raise an additional $3.1 billion for the state’s transportation needs over the next five years.
The proposal is anything but a done deal as it must first get through the General Assembly.
And even if it does get the OK by the legislature, there’s no guarantee the governor’s proposed list of transportation projects would get the go-ahead.
“If they’re on the plan, they will get attention at some point down the road,” Tony Wilt, R-Broadway, said. “But, obviously, the quicker you can secure the funding, and the more funding you can secure, the quicker you can get to the needed projects.”
McDonnell’s proposal includes the following projects in the central Valley.
$11.2 million to replace a bridge where U.S. 11 crosses over Interstate 81 north of Harrisonburg.
$6.7 million to replace a Smithland Road bridge over I-81.
$2.1 million to repair a bridge on U.S. 340 over Cub Run in Page County.
$2.8 million to repair a bridge on U.S. 11 over the North Fork of the Shenandoah in Shenandoah County.
A complete list of projects in the governor’s transportation proposal can be found online at www.governor.virginia.gov /utility/docs/Illustrative%20List%20Highway%20Projects.pdf.
The governor’s office released the proposal Tuesday morning that includes a list of projects that would be paid for under the plan.
Dubbed “Virginia’s Road to the Future,” the plan would provide the Virginia Department of Transportation with about $1.28 billion in new state funding for 158 recommended highway projects.
The proposal also would provide a little more than $1 billion in new funds for rail and transit projects. In addition, the plan would prevent approximately $500 million of projects in the existing six-year improvement program from being delayed due to a downturn in revenue projections.
McDonnell recently unveiled his transportation funding plan, which calls for scrapping the 17.5-cent gas tax and replacing it with a 0.8 percent increase in the state sales tax. That, the governor says, would raise an additional $3.1 billion for the state’s transportation needs over the next five years.
The proposal is anything but a done deal as it must first get through the General Assembly.
And even if it does get the OK by the legislature, there’s no guarantee the governor’s proposed list of transportation projects would get the go-ahead.
“If they’re on the plan, they will get attention at some point down the road,” Tony Wilt, R-Broadway, said. “But, obviously, the quicker you can secure the funding, and the more funding you can secure, the quicker you can get to the needed projects.”
McDonnell’s proposal includes the following projects in the central Valley.
$11.2 million to replace a bridge where U.S. 11 crosses over Interstate 81 north of Harrisonburg.
$6.7 million to replace a Smithland Road bridge over I-81.
$2.1 million to repair a bridge on U.S. 340 over Cub Run in Page County.
$2.8 million to repair a bridge on U.S. 11 over the North Fork of the Shenandoah in Shenandoah County.
A complete list of projects in the governor’s transportation proposal can be found online at www.governor.virginia.gov /utility/docs/Illustrative%20List%20Highway%20Projects.pdf.