Virginia DRPT News

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) reports that an estimated $77.7 billion is needed to bring the country’s rail and bus transit systems into a state of good repair. FTA’s recently released National State of Good Repair Assessment Study concludes that an additional $144 billion annually will be necessary to maintain our systems. US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood recently announced the availability of $775 million through the competitive State of Good Repair funding program.

To promote Virginia products and help grow jobs in Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell recently introduced the “Choose the Commonwealth!” initiative which encourages Virginia businesses to use Virginia products for their food and beverage needs. The Governor is leading by example and has pledged to use Virginia wines and other locally grown and produced products during events at the Executive Mansion.

A public workshop has been scheduled on Thursday, July 29, to gain public feedback on ways to improve Route 5 from 7th Street in downtown Richmond to South Laburnum Avenue in eastern Henrico County. The workshop is the first of three public meetings that will be held over the next year to provide a time to learn more about the study and discuss ideas for Route 5 with the study team. The workshop will be held at Varina High School at 6:00 p.m.

On July 20, Amtrak Virginia expands daily round-trip service between Richmond, Washington D.C., and points north along the Northeast Corridor with the introduction of a new intercity passenger train. With this new train, hourly morning departures are available from Richmond’s Staples Mill Station to the Northeast Corridor and more convenient afternoon return trips are available from Washington, D.C.

Pre-applications for TIGER II Discretionary Grants are due July 26, 2010, and final applications are due August 23, 2010. Final applications will be accepted only from those project sponsors that have submitted a pre-application. The program includes $600 million for projects that will have a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area or a region.

The FCC recently announced that the January 1, 2011, deadline to stop manufacturing wideband equipment for UHF/VHF bands (150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz) has been changed to January 1, 2013. This change will make it easier for Private Land-Mobile Radio (LMR) users operating under 512MHz to migrate to narrowband channels by allowing them to maintain their wideband systems until the deadline.

The Public Transportation Safety Act of 2010 was reported out of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and will now be considered by the full Senate. If signed into law, this bill will establish a federal public transportation safety program to improve the safety of rail fixed guideway and transit systems in the U.S.

The Virginia Rail Advisory Board’s (RAB) July meeting, previously scheduled for July 8, 2010, has been rescheduled for October 14, 2010, at the Department of Motor Vehicles Richmond headquarters from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The 2010 American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Annual Conference will be held October 3-6, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas. The meeting provides a time for transit professionals to come together to learn, network, discuss influential industry topics, and find solutions. Registration is now open, and the keynote speaker - Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers: The Story of Success – was recently announced.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will hold a meeting of the Virginia-North Carolina High Speed Rail Compact on July 12, 2010, from noon to 2 p.m. in Raleigh, N.C. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the Compact to discuss strategies to advance multi-state high speed rail initiatives.

Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) recently celebrated the grand opening of their new maintenance and operations facility. The facility was designed and constructed to achieve the US Green Building Council’s LEED Certification and houses a variety of CAT’s functions and employees. The site includes an administration and operations building, maintenance shop, fuel island and vehicle wash building.

Today marks the fifth annual Dump the Pump Day, sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Dump the Pump Day encourages Americans to leave their cars at home and use public transportation to save money on gas and help reduce our country’s dependency on oil. The latest APTA Transit Savings Report shows that a two car household that downsizes to one car can save more than $9,000 a year on average. What are you doing to Dump the Pump?

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) recently adopted the Fiscal Years 2011-2016 Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP), moving forward $7.8 billion in essential rail, transit, transportation demand management, bicycle, pedestrian and highway projects. The program includes $2.1 billion for rail and transit improvements, and focuses on funding deficits on projects under way, maximizing the use of federal funds, funding projects already under way and those with new phases starting in fiscal year 2011, and funding deficient bridges and pavements.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently published the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on Major Capital Investment Projects (New Starts and Small Starts) in the Federal Register. The FTA has scheduled outreach sessions to discuss the information included in the ANPRM on New Starts and Small Starts and to answer any questions.

A meeting has been scheduled to provide a time for the public to learn more about the Virginia Beach Transit Extension Study, which is evaluating a potential extension of The Tide light rail transit system in Norfolk to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The meeting will take place on June 30 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Westin Virginia Beach Town Center.

Public hearings to review and comment on the Tier II Draft Environmental Impact Statement which covers the portion of the Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) corridor between Richmond, VA, and Raleigh, NC, will begin July 13, 2010. Eight hearings have been scheduled in Virginia and North Carolina.

Comments on potential state sources of intercity passenger rail operating funding are due Friday, July 2. Public comments will help the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) evaluate potential sources of funding and provide recommendations as requested in SJ63, adopted during the 2010 Virginia General Assembly session.

The Capital Beltway HOT Lanes Project partners recently broke ground on the future site of the HOT Lanes Operations Center. The Capital Beltway HOT Lanes Project will bring new technology to I-495 that will help reduce congestion along the corridor. The High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes will be free for buses, carpools (HOV-3), motorcycles and emergency vehicles, and drivers with fewer than three occupants can choose to pay to access the lanes. The HOT Lanes will open in December 2012.

On Monday, the Senate unanimously passed the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. The legislation requires all agencies to establish telework policies, designate a Telework Managing Officer and ensure that telework is part of the agency’s continuity of operations planning. A companion bill has not been introduced in the House.

U.S. Senators Dodd, Durbin, Schumer, Menendez, Lautenberg and Brown recently introduced the ‘Public Transportation Preservation Act of 2010,’ which authorizes $2 billion in funds for emergency transit operating assistance. Reduced state and local funding resources have led to fare increases and service cuts for transit operators across the country. If the legislation is passed, transit operators could use the funds to reduce fare increases and restore services that were cut after January 2009, or to prevent future service cuts or fare increases through September 2011.