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

Letters to the Editor
A sampling of letters fromVirginia newspapers

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Letters to the Editor
previous to Sept. 2005:
coming soon

April 10, 2006 - Roanoke Times

I-81 study lacks crucial information

Citizens now have the opportunity to comment on the Virginia Department of Transportation's Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Interstate 81. Public hearings will be held in Roanoke on Tuesday.

The DEIS claims that rail cannot take enough trucks off I-81 to avoid widening it to eight lanes in the Roanoke Valley. However, the DEIS limited its study of rail to Virginia's piece alone.
Most truck traffic on I-81 travels through Virginia on long hauls. For rail to compete, improvements need to extend into neighboring states.

The 2006 Virginia General Assembly passed HB 1581 requiring Virginia to study what it would take to remove "significant" truck traffic from I-81.

This new study would see what is required to do that job right, rather than just show that we can't do enough with a limited effort.

More lanes won't make I-81 safer. Moving long-haul trucks onto rail will.

More lanes will have to be paid for with tolls. Rail improvements can be financed with loans.

The DEIS does not offer a viable rail alternative. We all need to tell VDOT that the DEIS does not give us the data we need to make the best choices for the I-81 corridor.

Kristin Peckman

March 3, 2006 - Times-Dispatch
 
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
The editorial, "Be It Resolved," horrified those of us living along the Interstate 81 Corridor. We are quite capable of making our own transportation decisions without help from The Times-Dispatch, thank you very much.In your endorsement of a massive I-81 highway project, you are out of step with the people of Western Virginia.

The time is long gone when building more lanes of highway can be seen as the answer to the problem of congestion and growth. It didn't work in California and it hasn't worked in the Northeast.

We can be smarter here in Virginia. We don't need to repeat the economic and environmental policies that have led to extravagant failure elsewhere.
Through intelligent and balanced planning Virginia can pioneer a new transportation paradigm for the 21st Century, one that can be a model for smarter capacity expansion nationwide -- one that makes use of a core network of high-capacity rail lines. A strategy that relieves truck congestion without compromising the natural beauty of our region. One that accommodates the growing freight flows passing through our state without sacrificing our farms, forests, homes, businesses, historic battlefields, and clean environment.

So butt out, Times-Dispatch. We're way ahead of you.

David L. Foster
Salem

Feb. 26, 2006 - Times-Dispatch

Next Time, Do Not Wish Upon STAR Solutions
Editor, As a resident of the Shenandoah Valley, I was very disturbed to read your editorial supporting the STAR Solutions plan for I-81.

Let me start off by agreeing with you when you say, "Growing traffic, excessive speeding, and frequent wrecks mar I-81, one of the nation's busiest byways for tractor-trailers." I also agree that Todd Gilbert's proposal does not adequately address the problem -- but that is where our agreement ends.

The Shenandoah Valley has a serious pollution problem. The air quality does not always meet even the low standards set by the EPA. Widening the roads will cause more truck traffic, and is only a temporary solution anyway. By the time the major work is finished, the road will be overcrowded again. We will be sacrificing the quality of life in the Shenandoah Valley and the health of the Shenandoah National Park, and will have spent millions of dollars in the process.

Whenever we have a traffic problem, it is automatically assumed that we need more roads. Nothing could be further from the truth. What we really need is a long-term, multi-state, integrated approach to traffic mitigation. I support Gilbert's proposal for spot improvements, but think it would be disastrous to uniformly widen I-81. Instead we need to support a new rail line that would run parallel to I-81. The beauty of rail is that if it gets too crowded, more cars can be added without adding more tracks. It is also a proven way to move freight.

I have visited many communities in which the quality of life was ruined by the addition of huge multi-lane highways. And the quality of life of the people who live there has got to be taken into consideration when contemplating huge public projects.

Jeanne Russell
Edinburg

February 26, 2006 - Times-Dispatch

To the Editor:
Your editorial, "Be It Resolved," addressing I-81 improvements, completely missed the mark. As a lifelong resident of the Shenandoah Valley, I resent the implication that you know better than eight well-informed "I-81 legislators" about what is best for the corridor, and that we who live along it "have no need for outrage."

The legislators and we who live along the corridor have been involved in a long-term struggle to maintain some control over what improvements occur on I-81, who will do the work, and how those contractors will be chosen. VDOT and STAR Solutions have been too cozy for comfort, and we have every right to be outraged at (1) their plan to widen unnecessarily the entire length of I-81, (2) STAR Solutions being chosen to handle a project before it was even defined, and (3) local contractors along the corridor not having the opportunity to bid on and benefit from this work.

You are also flatly misinformed about (1) only trucks being tolled, (2) the assertion that "the STAR Solutions project . . . has been subject to a full and open debate," (3) the sentiment that "the Commonwealth has come too far in its negotiations with STAR Solutions to stop now," and (4) STAR Solutions "offering the best available options." You are ignorant about this issue, and should refrain from commenting without first fully researching and understanding it.

Sally Burger
Staunton

February 13, 2006 - Bristol Herald Courier
(this letter also appeared in the Roanoke Times on Feb. 12)

"Get us off the fast track"
Interstate 81 is crowded with trucks. How many of those trucks could take the train instead, if we committed ourselves to an interstate railway?

Rail improvements only inside Virginia's borders are not a meaningful choice for long-distance hauling. But that's all the Virginia Department of Transportation looked at in its recent I-81 Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Meanwhile, plans for a massive expansion of I-81 go ahead.

A huge highway would bring tolls, increased traffic on parallel roads, greater air and water pollution and uncertain long-term benefits. A well-designed interstate rail system would take our beautiful valley into a better future.

Let?s not be hurried into an enormous mistake by "fixing" I-81. I urge your readers to contact the governor, their legislators and their local government officials and ask them to pull off that fast-moving road and consider the alternatives.

Alexia Smith
Lexington, Va.

February 6, 2006 - Roanoke Times

Taxpayers would benefit from improving rail
by Kris Peckman of Roanoke,
Invest in rail now for long-term benefits
by Richard Rusk of Blacksburg, and
I-81 corridor study lacks needed information
by Peggy Dyson-Cobb of Lexington.
Download pdf of newspaper clippings

Friday, December 16, 2005 - Bristol Herald Courier -TriCities.com

A national rail solution
Editor, I applaud your editorial series that addresses the transportation problems surrounding Interstate 81. However, I believe your focus is too narrow.
I am a proponent of increased rail traffic and I think the group in Virginia has made a good start. That start was to stop the expansion plans for I-81 because once a program of that magnitude begins, it assumes a life of its own and continues forever, regardless of the merits.

The problem, as I see it, is that it is conceived only as a Virginia problem. Increased rail facilities for the I-81 stretch would do, as the Virginia Department of Transportation indicates, little or nothing. I agree.

What is needed is a longer, high speed rail system with no grade crossings and appropriately designed load-off points. Looking to the future, the nation needs a steel interstate. Two or three lines north-to-south and similarly east-to-west carrying primarily freight would have enormous benefits to the nation. But it has to be a national system.

The present interstate system would not have been constructed if it had been left to the states. I envision a steel interstate with the rail bed owned by the government, but open to all companies that have the necessary equipment. This is a big jump, but the present day interstate was also a big jump.

Michael D. Eckart
Blountville, Tenn.

December 12, 2005 - The Roanoke Times
 
Solve I-81 problems by more use of rail
Traffic on Interstate 81 is a concern to many local residents. It's dangerous, expensive and pollutes our beautiful valley.

I've worked at Norfolk Southern for 27 years, and I know that one way we can help ease congestion is to ship more goods long-haul by rail.

One intermodal train can haul 280 truck trailers; other types of trains can haul as much as 500 truckloads.

The Roanoke Times has covered this issue in depth, reporting that the stretch of I-81 between Christiansburg and Daleville will have an "F" rating by 2035.

What I don't see enough of in the newspaper are reasonable and inexpensive solutions to this growing problem.

Promoting policies that would encourage more rail growth allows us to combine the long-haul efficiency of rail with the door-to-door service of trucks. It improves the treacherous conditions on I-81 and would save us all money.

Tracie Baetz
Salem

Monday, November 28, 2005 - The Roanoke Times

Intermodal offers best solution to transportation woes
Anyone in the Roanoke Valley who drives Interstate 81 has seen a steady increase in overall traffic in recent years.

Experts predict that the volume of large trucks traveling on I-81 will increase nearly 70 percent over the next 20 years, making traffic problems even worse.

The heavily traveled corridor between Wytheville and Northern Virginia is not only becoming increasingly congested, but is also frequently the site of numerous auto/truck collisions.

We need to ask our lawmakers and business leaders to work together to encourage use of more intermodal rail service (where trailers and containers travel on rail cars) to combine the long-haul efficiency of rail with the door-to-door service of trucks.

This would ease congestion, improve safety and improve air quality, too.

William Clemson
Roanoke

September 14, 2005 - Bristol Herald Courier - TriCities.com

Trains would help I-81
To the Editor:
In "Railroads can’t fix I-81", Mr. Shaffer maintains, "[Shipping by rail] would take several weeks to receive things that are now delivered by truck in a matter of days." He’s right about today’s railroad, but advocates for a rail alternative to massive border-to-border widening of I-81 are envisioning a totally different kind of railroad than we currently see poking along the track.

By dual tracking the railroad, smoothing out curves and relocating or burying the track in congested areas, a new railroad would be created. This new railroad would have no highway crossings and allow scheduled trains to operate at speeds and with delivery times competitive with interstate trucks.

Mr. Shaffer is correct; all deliveries must begin and end on trucks at shipping origin and destination points. However, he fails to grasp the value of intermodalism-moving long distance freight the bulk of the distance on a new, cheaper, faster railroad. Yes, loads will be shifted from truck to train car to truck again, but drive on-drive off loading techniques expedite quick and efficient load transfers. Freight studies show that up to 70% of trucks traveling I-81 travel straight through Virginia; these trips are long enough to make use of faster rail service.

Mr. Shaffer balks at using taxpayer money to fund private railroad companies. He fails to concede that construction and maintenance of the interstate highway system, airport and port facilities and air traffic control all are tax subsidies of different forms of private transportation businesses. The only transportation mode that has been paying its own way (and suffering years of degenerating infrastructure and service) is railroad. If use of rail makes a safer I-81 and avoids imposition of highway tolls, everyone wins.

Add to this the steady decrease in air quality and the destruction of our beautiful area with bigger highways and all the support commerce that goes with it and the rail solution begins to look terrific.

M. Cybil Britton

September 7, 2005 - Washington County News
 
To the Editor:
"For anyone who travels Interstate 81, the recently passed federal transportation act is welcome news. Congress dedicated $142 milllion for safety improvements to Virginia's 325-miles [sic] of the interstate, the largest single earmark for any highway project in Virginia and one of the largest in the country. Those funds, combined with over $160 million already allocated by the Virginia Department of Transportation, mean that after years of study and debate, significant improvements to this dangerous and overcrowded road are finally on their way [emphasis added].
 
"Nearly three years ago, the STAR Solutions team submitted to VDOT a comprehensive proposal under Virginia's Public Private Transportation Act (PPTA) to widen I-81 and work towards separating truck and passenger traffic. That plan called for the improvements to be paid for in part by truck tolls.  Virginia law prohibits tolling of passenger vehicles. Federal dollars were also part of the proposed funding plan.
 
"The PPTA encourages private companies to bring forward creative solutions to meet the state's  pressing transportation needs. In return, the private sector shares the risk, and the reward, associated with building new roads.
 
"Last year after numerous public hearings and a thorough analysis of two competing proposals VDOT Commissioner Philip Shucet decided to move forward with negotiating an agreement with the STAR Solutions team. At the same time, VDOT, in cooperation with the federal government, initiatied a study required by law to fully analyze the environmental and historical resources impact of widening the interstate. The results of this study will determine exactly the types and scope of improvements allowed for 81.
 
"For years, Virginians have waited patiently for major improvements to begin on this deadly road. Hardly a day goes by without a report of a serious or even fatal accident. I-81 was never designed to handle the volume of traffic--both car and truck taffic [emphasis added]--it now carries.
 
"Our polling data shows that improving I-81 is widely popular. The idea of separating cars and trucks enjoys a 75 percent approval rating. Truck tolls are also viewed favorably. People who live in the corridor are not convinced by arguments that tolls hurt the economy or that widening will harm the environment. Instead they just want action, and they want it now [emphasis added].
 
"Unfortunately, there are several groups that object to making these needed improvements. Some believe a new rail network is the solution. Others are opposed to truck tolls. Yet none of these special interests [emphasis added] has come forward with its onwn viable alternative for addressing the obvious overcrowding and other safety problems with the road. The stark reality is that the problems on I-81 cry out for an innovative solution. It is universally recognized as one of the most treacherous roads in the interstate highway system, and the problem will only get worse in the future.
 
"We are not opposed to using rail as a means to reduce the number of trucks on the interstate. In fact, our plans included spending over $130 million on rail improvements to eliminate more than 500,000 trucks from I-81 each year. It is wishful think, however, to believe a new rail line parallel to the interstate will divert a significant amount of freight and passenger traffic from I-81. Such a rail line would cost Virginia billions and currently there is no source of funding. And even if Virginia did manage to build a new line, what happens when other states don't follow? The idea that trucks will stop at the state line, ship their trailers by rail, and then get back on the interstate north of Virginia is unrealistic. Finally, rail does nothing to solve the existing and future problems on the overcrowded, aging interstate [emphasis added].
 
"We also find claims that tolls will cause trucks to use local roads dubious and self-serving [emphasis added]. Consider the truck-dependent nature of our economy and its demand for the prompt delivery of goods, we are convinced that an improved interstate will not only be beneficial to the trucking industry, but a boost to our economy as well. Rising fuel prices are affecting all Ameicans and experts are convinced that high gas prices are here to stay. Congestion and stop-and-go traffic waste fuel and cost time, making alternate routes on local roads simply uneconomical [emphasis added].
 
"In its present condition, I-81 will only grow more dangerous and more congested, threatening the safety and quality of life for people in Southwest Virginia and throughout the Shenandoah Valley. The time for debating and complainging about he problems on I-81 is over [emphasis added]. We formed STAR Solutions out of a shared desire to make improvements that address the long standing safety issues on I-81 [emphasis added]. Our coalition developed an innovative and cost-effective approach to improving a long and dangerous stretch of highway. We are encouraged that Congress and the Commonwealth of Virgining are ready to move forward [emphasis added].

Jack Lanford of Adams Construction Company
(a STAR Solutions partner in Roanoke)

August 29, 2005 - Bristol Herald Courier - TriCities.com

In Support of Rail
The factual errors in the Aug. 29 letter, "Railroads can’t fix I-81," are too numerous to correct in a single letter. However, the concluding argument – "... the railroads are privately owned. Why should our tax dollars be used for their benefit?" – is totally biased. It ignores the following facts:
From the late 1800s through the early 1900s, steam trains carried most of our freight and long-distance passengers, unified our continent, and shaped our nation.

Privately owned trucking companies and bus lines have benefited from the billions of dollars spent by local and state governments over the last 200 years on constructing and maintaining our nation’s roads and airports. Since 1916, the federal government has spent more than $100 billion to aid states in building and improving highways, airports and aviation.

While the governments of most countries support railroads as an essential part of their infrastructure, our federal government provides far less aid for railroads than for any other form of transportation, but regulates railroads more strictly. It would require as many as 1,000 cars to carry as many passengers as one commuter train.

An average "piggyback" train of 70 cars can carry 2,500 tons of trailers/containers for a fraction of the cost of individual trucks. Compared to trucks and aircraft, trains offer significant reductions in congestion, fuel costs, and pollution.

With oil prices near $70 a barrel and still climbing, our neglected, abused and maligned railroads may once again offer the most cost-effective solution to our problems.

J. Edward Updyke
Bristol, Tenn.

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