STAR Solutions Officially Ends Participation in All Future Work in the I-81 Corridor!

January 06, 2005 - From the Virginia Dept of Transportation:

RICHMOND I-95 HIGHWAY SAFETY CORRIDOR LAUNCHED Increased Enforcement and Fines Now In Place from Bells Road to Parham Road

Jeff.Caldwell@vdot.virginia.gov RICHMOND - The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) along with the Virginia State Police and the Department of Motor Vehicles is driving home the safety message on one of Virginia’s most crash-prone stretches of interstate. Beginning Jan. 6, a 13-mile stretch of Interstate 95 between mile marker 70 near Bells Road in Richmond and mile marker 83 near Parham Road in Henrico County will be designated as Virginia’s second Highway Safety Corridor.

This 13-mile segment comprises 7.3 percent of I-95 but it experienced 14.5 percent of all I-95 crashes between 2000 and 2002.

The Highway Safety Corridor designation brings a coordinated public outreach and enforcement effort from these state agencies, and for the 140,000 motorists who pass through this area each day, it brings the threat of fines up to $2,500 for violating traffic laws in the designated area.

The 2003 General Assembly passed legislation paving the way for a Highway Safety Corridor program to improve safety on interstate and primary roads (routes numbered 1 through 599). In areas designated as Highway Safety Corridors, fines for speeding tickets are increased up to $500 and fines for criminal offenses such as reckless driving or driving under the influence could cost as much as $2,500.

The first Highway Safety Corridor designation was a 15-mile section in Interstate 81 posted in early 2004, from mile marker 127 near Ironto in Montgomery County to mile marker 142 near Salem in Roanoke County. Since the corridor was designated last year there has been a 30 percent reduction in crashes, down from a peak of 204 crashes in 2003. Crashes resulting in injuries declined about 60 percent. When compared to the average of the previous four years, total crashes are down 15 percent and injury crashes are down about 49 percent in the I-81 Highway Safety Corridor.

“We had great success with the first Highway Safety Corridor designation on I-81 last year and we hope to have a similar impact on the safety of motorists traveling I-95 through the Richmond area.” said Stephen Read, VDOT’s Highway Safety Corridor program manager. “VDOT held a public hearing Oct. 7 to solicit public input on this corridor and comments were overwhelmingly positive. Many believed we should even increase the length of the region selected.”

A section of interstate can be designated as a Highway Safety Corridor after a detailed traffic engineering study and a public input period. Sites are selected after an analysis of:
• Crash frequency
• Overall vehicle crash rate
• Truck-involved crash rate
• Enforcement considerations
• Roadway characteristics

VDOT and the Department of Motor Vehicles will use federal safety grants to fund a radio and billboard advertising campaign to raise awareness of this designation in Richmond. VDOT has also installed 19 signs throughout the corridor to notify motorists about this designation. The Virginia State Police have also committed additional enforcement efforts in this corridor to ensure that drivers get the message.

“We see too many crashes every day involving inattention, erratic behavior and speed,” said Virginia State Police Superintendent, Colonel W. Steve Flaherty. “This designation will hopefully raise awareness of the need for drivers to take safety into their own hands. The increased fines associated with this Highway Safety Corridor will give troopers another tool in making sure everyone obeys traffic laws and puts safety above all else when getting behind the wheel.”

Future Highway Safety Corridors are planned for I-95 in Northern Virginia this spring and are possible on I-64 in the Richmond and Hampton Roads regions at a later date. Additional interstate and primary road designations may follow.
For more information about the Highway Safety Corridor program, visit http://www.VirginiaDOT.org. |||

February 1, 2005 - The Augusta Free Press

I-81 News and Notes

by Chris Graham chris@augustafreepress.com
LANDES ON BOARD WITH HANGER I-81 PROPOSAL: House Republican Caucus chairman Steve Landes is on board with a proposal authored by Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Mount Solon, that would halt ongoing negotiations between the Virginia Department of Transportation and a private consortium that has offered its services in accord with the Virginia Public-Private Transportation Act as a contractor on the Interstate 81 improvement project.
"The idea is to give the General Assembly some say in how the project is accomplished," said Del. Landes, R-Weyers Cave, one of nine lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly to sign on as cosponsors.

Senate Bill 1319, introduced by Hanger in the Senate last month, would require VDOT to suspend negotiations with Star Solutions until it received the express authorization of the legislature to proceed.

"Legislators up and down the I-81 corridor have concerns about the Star Solutions proposal, in particular with the funding mechanisms that have been proposed," Landes told The Augusta Free Press. "I think you're going to hear from more people who would like to see evidence that there are people outside of Star Solutions and VDOT who want to see us move forward with the project that has been laid out on the table."

HANGER ON I-81 IMPROVEMENTS: Hanger didn't mince words when offering his thoughts on the idea of using tolls on drivers to finance multibillion-dollar improvements to Interstate 81.

"I really don't believe our beautiful areas of Western Virginia, including the world-famous Shenandoah Valley, should be compromised by an experiment that may prove devastating to the environment," Hanger said.

"In fact, I sense there is enough organized opposition to the project that it will be delayed for years in court even if it goes forward," Hanger said.

Hanger said he supports the proposal of adding a third lane in each direction, adding and upgrading interchanges and realigning stretches of the interstate highway - with the funding coming from traditional state and federal transportation sources.

VDOT POSTS PORTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW ON WEB: A draft of the purpose-and-need section of the federally mandated environmental review of possible I-81 improvements being completed by VDOT is now available on-line.

Internet surfers can get a glimpse of the purpose-and-need statement at www.I-81.org.

"We are releasing the draft purpose-and-need section now because it is important to us to continue to be open to the public about the progress we're making in conducting the study," VDOT chief of planning, policy and the environment Jeffrey Southard said Tuesday.

Chris Graham is the co-publisher of The Augusta Free Press. |||

February 1, 2005 - The [Waynesboro] News Virginian

Hanger: I-81 plan has no merit

By BOB STUART
State Sen. Emmett Hanger has introduced legislation to "pull the plug" on VDOT negotiations with STAR Solu-tions on the multibillion-dollar expansion of Interstate 81.

Hanger, R-Mount Solon, said he has doubts about the STAR proposal, which he termed environmentally destructive and too expensive.

"I never thought the proposal had merit,'' he said by telephone Monday from Richmond. "It's too huge a project, environmentally disruptive and too costly. The best thing to do is pull the plug and focus on what is doable."

The STAR proposal calls for adding two lanes in each direction along all 325 miles of I-81 in Virginia, and would separate cars and trucks.

Tolls on both cars and trucks would be needed to fund the project.

Del. Chris Saxman, R-Staunton, said Monday that legislators have had difficulty getting an updated cost estimate on the STAR proposal.

Previous estimates had ranged from around $6 billion to $13 billion. VDOT is waiting on the results of an envi-ronmental review of the proposal.

Hanger said a third lane could be added to both directions of I-81 in the more congested portions, and that some interchanges could be up-graded.

"We could identify funding sources for these improvements in the next budget cycle,'' Hanger said.

The senator said one of his greatest concerns is what the project would do to the environment of the Shenandoah Valley and western Virginia.

"I really don't believe," he said, "our beautiful areas of western Virginia, including the world-famous Shenandoah Valley, should be com-promised by an experiment that may prove devastating to the environment. In fact, I sense there is enough organized opposition to the project that it will be delayed for years in court even if it goes forward."

The senator also was critical of the STAR Solutions group.
"The plan is being driven by large, politically connected corporations, including the giant firm Halliburton, and the process is being moved forward regardless of whether or not it is in the best interest of the citizens of Virginia,'' he said.

Hanger said his bill is "gathering additional co-patrons.'' There is vehement opposition in the General Assembly, however, including from House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, who has said he fully supports the STAR plan.

Meanwhile, he also has introduced a budget initiative calling for improvements to Virginia's rest areas.

The measure would up-grade the rest areas in time for the 2007 celebration of Jamestown's 400th anniversary.

Hanger said he wants as much work done as possible before 2007 on the rest stops and recommends using cost-efficient designs, establishing funding mechanisms and possibly public-private partnerships to minimize costs.

"Our rest areas are in deplorable shape and do not represent the wealth of Virginia's heritage and natural beauty,'' Hanger said. "We should lay out a welcome mat for our guests and travelers rather than send them to what appears to be an old 'Johnny' house out back at one location,'' he said.

Bob Stuart can be reached at bstuart@newsvirginian.com

NEXT MEETING:
June 7th at 10am
Salem, VA