Virginia DRPT News

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Being held December 7-9 in Norfolk, Join the Governor, Robert F. McDonnell, the Secretary of Transportation, Sean T. Connaughton, the Governor's transportation team, legislative leaders, and key modal stakeholders to see what transportation choices and opportunities the Commonwealth has to offer.

In case you weren’t able to make it to the Town Hall Meeting to hear Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton address the attendees on the benefits of teleworking, you can now listen to his speech, along with other aspects of the meeting, online.

Sponsored by ITS Virginia, the event will be held on Thursday, November 17, in Glen Allen. You won’t want to miss this timely and important event!

The American Public Transportation Association is sponsoring a photography contest for photos that depict public transportation’s significance, value and benefits. Photos must be submitted by November 4, and the winning entries will appear in their 2012 calendar.

Progressive Railroading’s 2011 Rail-at-a-Glance surveys asked dozens of transit agencies, "What are the hot issues your agency is dealing with right now?" This on-line only article has responses from agencies across the country, including Virginia

In all, $928.5 million was awarded for fiscal year 2011 transit improvements. Projects include new buses, equipment, garages and bike programs for various municipalities and transportation authorities.

Sponsored by the FTA on October 25, this webinar introduces participants to the range of value capture strategies that can be employed near transit, and provides real-world examples of innovative value capture strategies currently underway in the US.

The national, nonprofit rail safety education organization is inviting people to submit ideas for an ending to Bad Move, its new public service announcement through an online contest. The contest is open through October 31 and the winner will receive two round trip Amtrak tickets.

DRPT will study current and projected commuter patterns in Northern Virginia to plan transit and transportation demand management enhancements needed to keep Northern Virginia moving. The study will cover commuting within Northern Virginia, as well as west from the Shenandoah Valley, south through Culpeper and Caroline counties, and east from the Northern Neck.

Pledge to share a ride from October 17-23 and be entered to win prizes for you, your car and your wallet! Sharing a ride includes carpooling or any alternative to driving alone, like transit, biking, walking or teleworking.

October 31, 2011, marks the last day that Virginia businesses can pre-apply to take advantage of the Virginia’s new telework tax credit legislation that provides for a tax credit of up to $50,000 per business for tax year 2012.

Starting October 11, these meetings will give the public an opportunity to comment on plans to adjust bus service in order to provide customers with more reliable, efficient and cost-effective service and to provide additional capacity where it is needed most.

Kicking off on October 3 in Lynchburg, the meetings will be held across the state so that the public may discuss projects and programs in the current Six-year Improvement Program (SYIP) and provide comments for the development of the Fiscal Years 2013-2018 SYIP, including multimodal initiatives for highways, rail and transit.

For the first time in its 25-year history, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission carried more than 15,000 passengers on a single day. Last month, the transit agency gained four new buses and for the first time in years was able to add service to the OmniRide commuter bus system.

VDOT and DRPT will hold three Design Public Hearings for the proposed high occupancy vehicle and high occupancy toll lanes along I-95. The hearings will also provide the opportunity to review the findings of the I-95 Environmental Analysis and the I-95 Transit and Transportation Demand Management plan. Hearings will be held along the corridor, beginning September 26.

In response to Virginia’s new telework tax credit, DRPT is hosting a free webinar on September 30 from 9:30-10:45 a.m. Register today and learn how your business can save up to $50,000 in tax credits by setting up a formal telework program

This article, published by Passenger Transport magazine, examines some national and local security changes to public transit systems, since the September 11 attacks. Included is a snapshot of the steps WMATA has taken to ensure the safety of its passengers.

Sponsored by the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, the September 28 event will take place in McLean and feature Secretary Connaughton and other leading Virginia transportation experts. The seminar will include what’s happening with regards to WMATA structural reforms and maintenance, I-66 and I-95 improvements, VRE upgrades, Fairfax County Parkway and other key secondary road improvements.

Petersburg Area Transit has a new bus route to Hopewell, which brings the area bus service for the first time since the 1970s. The Hopewell Circulator includes 34 stops throughout the city and riders can transfer to buses which will take them throughout the region