Revised estimates of federal and state transportation revenues reveal an expected decline of $2.1 to $2.6 billion over the next six years. The news was delivered by Transportation Secretary Pierce R. Homer today at the meeting of the Commonwealth Transportation Board. This comes on top of the $1.1 billion announced in June.
According to the press release:
“We must make fundamental changes to our transportation administration, services, programs and projects to address this long-term change in our revenue base. The week economy and reduced state and ffederal transportation revenues require that the existing transportation budgets and the Board’s Six-Year Improvement Program be further reduced, ” said Secretary Homer.
[…]
VDOT’s plan includes reducing service and staffing levels throughout the Commonwealth, particularly through reductions in residency offices, senior management and repair shops. VDOT will also evaluate services provided throughout the commonwealth including roadside maintenance, lighting, mowing, signage and other activities.
As if transportation in Virginia needed any more hits 😦 This is going to get painful, folks.
And in other transportation news, the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization is hosting a Public Information Meeting on the development of a regional transit vision plan for the Hampton Roads study area. The meeting (pdf) will be held Thursday, October 16, from 4:30pm to 7:30pm at their offices, located in The Regional Building, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23320. For those on the Peninsula, you can participate in a live feed of the meeting at the Hampton Roads Transit offices, 3400 Victoria Blvd., in Hampton.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
No worries right Viv. Looks like we can caount on all those Regional Tansportation Authorities to come back up now out of neccessity right? Forget the State Constitution in times like these I can here them saying already, we need to raise revenue so lets shelve the Constitution in the short term until we can get through this. I mean why not, the Feds are doing it left in right?
On the horizon folks:
2% rental car surcharges for authorities
2% surtax on fuel sales
regional congestion fees on real estate sales
5% surtax on all auto related repairs/services in addition to sales tax
$10 increase in vehicle inspection fees
1% registration fee of value of auto
$10 additional registration fees (yearly) like the decal fee
Any combinations of these are on the horizon by such Authorities if implemented and now those that support such taxing and feeing authorities have the perfect cover (we don’t have the money in the budget) to get it done.
You think its bad now. Just wait and see how measures like these coupled with getting zero tax breaks at the federal level will feel. McCain and Obama while pandering for tax votes will not be able to implement the plans they have laid out even remotely. Expect taxes to go up both at the federal and state levels in the future.
I’ll be there tomorrow night for the MPO meeting.
For perspective, the VDOT budget is $3.8B for FY2009. A $2.6B reduction over 6 years is $433M/year, or about 11.4% of that $3.8B.
Regardless of the stated budget projection, it will be reduced going forward. Localities like mine that had been receiving 7 million dollars a year in State funding though projects will now only receive 1 million going forward. This brings projects to a streaking halt. We just had VDOT complte a two mile road project that cost 20 million. Localities will be forced to address the needs of its citizens in other ways independent of the State, which could potentially result in more Counties implementing measures that could eventually have them go the way of Henrico and Arlington which do not get State funding for roadways. I really is rather amusing to see our State leaders cast shadows of blame on one another as to who is to blame for this mess, especially transportation, but the “its Jim Gilmore’s fault” is really getting tiresome. Its like the guy is Virginia’s version of Bush and everything under the sun that comes along we don’t like gets pinned to him. Heck I can remember people talking about the needs for better transportation agendas back when Bailies was Governor for god sakes. Its hardly one man or one adminstrations fault regardless of what political persuasion we are.
Hey, we’re going to all be unemployed anyway, so rush-hour traffic will be considerably reduced anyway! No jobs, no need for roads!
Thanks for blocking McCain’s “Fannie Mac” oversight bill, Senate Democrats!