VDOT Hears from Concerned Residents

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Updated: 2:13 PM Mar 13, 2009 VDOT Hears from Concerned Residents Verona, Va. Proposals to cut jobs and services by the Virginia Department of Transportation have not gone over well with people around the Valley. Posted: 12:37 AM Mar 13, 2009 Reporter: Mary Pulley

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Proposals to cut jobs and services by the Virginia Department of Transportation have not gone over well with people around the Valley.

Thursday night, VDOT officials and the Commonwealth Transportation Board were on hand in Verona to hear just what the public thinks.

VDOT is proposing cuts to several services including public safety patrols and interstate maintenance. It's also proposed closing several rest stops and residency offices across the Commonwealth.

In addition, the department will cut 1,000 full time, and 450 part time positions.

Officials say the moves are in response to a $2.6 billion shortfall.

A number of people are not happy about the proposals. Residents are concerned about the impact closing rest stops will have on tourism.

Another big concern, especially in Page County, is the way the department plans to redefine, and reprioritize roads. Ninety percent of secondary roads there would be classified at categorize three and four, making them less of a priority for clearing ice.

Latest Comments

Posted by: Tom Location: Richmond on Apr 20, 2009 at 09:02 AM

Tim Kaine only cares about being patted on the back for cutting jobs out of a state agency, namely VDOT. He doesn't tell you that many of the services being cut will actually cost much more to let out to consulting firms. It is his consultant buddies and their firms, that will benefit financially, while lowering the quality of provided services, at inflated prices. An area never mentioned, is the design and surveying groups, that are basically being cut completely, that have proven for years that they can do their jobs better and far more cost efficient than the consultants. These cuts have NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH MONEY, JUST BUDDY-BUDDY POLITICS, AS USUAL! Wake up Virginians, and look at the big picture, and see what your Gov is doing to you. He thinks that the public is so dumb, that they cannot see thru the bureaucracy and red tape. It will take VDOT 20 years to recover from this debacle, and we will all pay for it, just to make a Governor look good today.

Posted by: Matt Location: Harrisonburg on Mar 20, 2009 at 04:05 PM

vdot's new commisioner ekern has no idea of what our rural needs are here in the valley, or any other part of the state for that matter. he's an outsider that gov. kaine hired to destroy vdot inorder to make him look good. remember kaine is now the dnc chair with just a few months left in office. getting rid of 1500 vdot employees will put another feather in his cap for bigger and better things down the road. who knows, he's probably up for the head toilet scrubber job in dc or somewhere! now, back to ekern; a quick web search will tell you the man was run out of the last state highway job (idaho) he had. seems an external audit of the idaho highway dept. found employee moral so low under him the gov. out there was about ot axe him, when he suddenly resigned! they say timing is everything. seems we will have to depend on the general assmebly members to find virginia's axe. i'm sure kaine wouldn't have the stomach for it.

Posted by: Bobby Location: Page County on Mar 20, 2009 at 03:53 PM

I hope the people across the mountain don't mind it when there realestate and personal property taxes go up to pay for the roads. It will be too late to start crying then!

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