The Virginia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation presented a draft Six-Year Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2010-2015 Wednesday to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The total proposed program is $7.4 billion, down from $8.9 billion in the revised FY 2009-2014 budget approved three months ago.

The FY 2010-2015 budget reflects $650 million in cuts to the highway program and $880 million in reductions to rail and transit.

The highway declines are largely a result of continued state and federal revenue shortfalls, while the transit and rail declines are mainly attributed to the transition of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which reduced the program by $776 million.

“The commonwealth is continually challenged to meet federal obligations and state maintenance requirements for our highway system while dealing with drastic declines in state and federal revenues,” says Pierce R. Homer, Virginia secretary of transportation. “We have been able to maintain our rail and transit programs and services.”

Transportation revenue reductions have forced the CTB to significantly reduce the six-year program over the past several years:

- Fiscal years 2008-13 program adopted June 2007: $11 billion ($8.7 billion for highways).
- Fiscal years 2009-14 program adopted June 2008: $10.6 billion ($7.9 billion for highways).

- Revised fiscal years 2009-14 program adopted February 2009: $8.9 billion ($6.0 billion for highways).

- Proposed Fiscal years 2010-2015 program: $7.4 billion ($5.4 billion for highways).

The Draft FY 2010-2015 Six-Year Improvement Program, including proposed project cut lists for interstate, primary, secondary and urban roadways, is available online at the link below. Details of the rail and transit program are also online.

VDOT also applied previously allocated but unused dollars from interstate projects to fund two major ready-to-go projects in order to match federal funds for FY 2009. More than $97 million from projects with phases that were not currently under way was reallocated in order to complete the I-95 bridge rehabilitation and I-64 paving projects in the Richmond District.

“After reducing the highway program by $2 billion in the revised FY 2009-2014 program, VDOT is again faced with more program funding challenges,” says VDOT Commissioner David S. Ekern, P.E. “VDOT is stretching every dollar to ensure federal and state obligations are met, and using available funds to keep projects that can move forward progressing as quickly as possible.”

Funding Reductions for Highway Program from the FY 2009-2014 Revised Program to the Proposed FY 2010-2015 Program

- Interstate: $1.4 billion to $1.3 billion

- Primary: $ 1.3 billion to $1.0 billion

- Secondary: $0.6 billion to $0.5 billion

- Urban: $0.5 billion to $0.4 billion

“While the reduction in available state rail, transit and commuter service funding in the draft FY2010-2015 program is primarily due to the reassignment of the Dulles Metrorail project, the transit and rail programs and services have been spared the drastic reductions of other areas of government,” says DRPT Director Charles M. Badger, P.E.

The Commonwealth of Virginia will host four public hearings across the state in June to receive public input on the Fiscal Years 2010-2015 Six-Year Improvement Program for highway, transit, rail and commuter service improvements.

CTB members will host the hearings and leaders from VDOT and DRPT will attend and provide information.

Public hearings will be held at the following locations:

Monday, June 1, at 6 p.m.
VDOT Central Office Auditorium
1221 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Hearing focus: Richmond, Culpeper and Fredericksburg Districts

Tuesday, June 2, at 7 p.m.
Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School
7130 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22043
Hearing focus: Northern Virginia and Staunton Districts

Wednesday, June 3, at 6 p.m.
Northside Middle School
6810 Northside High School Road.
Roanoke, VA 24019
Hearing focus: Salem, Bristol, Lynchburg, Staunton Districts

Thursday, June 4, at 6 p.m.
Hampton Roads Planning District Commission
723 Woodlake Drive
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Meeting focus: Hampton Roads Distric