Tag: Charlottesville Bypass
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Cville Bypass Bids Come in Under $244 Million Estimate… Or Maybe Not
The low bid for the Charlottesville Bypass, submitted by Virginia Beach Skanska- Branch/JMT, came in below cost estimates, says the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), as reported by Charlottesville Tomorrow Friday. “Based on the apparent low bids all project costs are within the allocated amount in the Six-Year Improvement Program,” said Lou Hatter, spokesman for…
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Still No Final Design as C’ville Bypass Approaches Construction
by James A. Bacon I’m back from Vegas (nothing happened there that had to stay there, by the way), and I’m catching up on what I missed while I was gone. It seems that the Charlottesville Bypass had one of its periodic flare-ups, as many citizens got it into their heads that they should be…
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Tarheel Lawsuit Could Change VDOT Planning Practices
The proposed Monroe Bypass south of Charlotte. (Click for more legible image.) A lawsuit filed against a proposed bypass near Charlotte, N.C., could have a big impact on how road and highway projects are decided in Virginia. If a coalition of conservation groups win their case in U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, it would…
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Second Thoughts on Charlottesville Bypass
U.S. 29 north of Charlottesville The battle over the Charlottesville Bypass still isn’t over. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) must review its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), last supplemented in May 2003, to see if it needs to be updated. Now the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has submitted a letter listing 11 topics that…
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Uncertainties and Risks in the Charlottesville Bypass Bid
by James A. Bacon Uh, oh, it looks like the bidding process for the Charlottesville Bypass is running into complications. Prospective bidders for the construction phase of the controversial project, estimated to cost $244 million, have lots of questions… and the Virginia Department of Transportation doesn’t have all the answers. A document obtained by Charlottesville…
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The Road to Wealth Destruction
The soon-to-be-built Charlottesville Bypass provides a lousy economic return on investment. Only government would spend $244 million on a project that yields less than $8 million a year in benefits to the public.
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In the Dark
The McDonnell administration omitted critical information from its presentation last summer when seeking the Commonwealth Transportation Board’s approval to fund the controversial Charlottesville bypass.
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C’Ville Bypass Won’t Reduce Congestion, Consultant Says
Spending $197 million to complete construction of the Charlottesville Bypass would do nothing to improve traffic congestion along the bypassed three-mile stretch of U.S. 29 north of Charlottesville, and it would induce development and traffic growth north of the South Fork of the Rivanna River, making traffic conditions there worse than they are already. Those…
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Restructuring the Gas Tax
by James A. Bacon Virginia’s 17.5-cent tax on motor fuels is like an over-the-hill ball player. Back in 1986, when the rate was last set, the tax could run, leap and throw like a champ. These days, it wheezes just walking around the block. With each passing year, the gas tax is less able to…
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Fast, Efficient and… Less Accountable?
The McDonnell administration hopes that VDOT’s “design-build” approach to highway engineering will advance projects more quickly and save millions of dollars. But public accountability may suffer.
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Whirley Defends Cville Bypass Cost Estimates
by James A. Bacon Virginia Highway Commissioner Gregory A. Whirley is sticking with his $197 million estimate for how much money it will take to complete the Charlottesville Bypass, although he acknowledges that the final bids could come in above or below that number. The estimate was called into question yesterday by the Charlottesville Albemarle…
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Did VDOT Understate Cville Bypass Costs?
by James A. Bacon A citizens group opposed to the proposed Charlottesville Bypass has unearthed documents showing that official Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) estimates of the project’s cost may be gravely understated. Just weeks before the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted to allocate $197 million to the project (to supplement the sum already spent on design…
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Zoom Zoom Zoom!
Albemarle Supervisors declined to ask state highway officials to update an 18-year-old analysis of the Charlottesville Bypass before putting the project out for bids. It’s full speed ahead for the controversial, $245 million project.
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The Wonk Salon, September 14, 2011
Dental School for SW Virginia? Maybe Not Such a Great Idea Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service No question: Southwest Virginia would benefit from having a dental school. But there are three big challenges: finding the money to build the school, recruiting faculty, and enrolling college grads with the necessary skills and ability to pay…
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Battle over C-ville Bypass Moves to Next Phase
By James A. Bacon The battle over the $200 million Charlottesville Bypass isn’t over, not by a long shot. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) held a press conference earlier today to “send a clear message” to the Charlottesville-Albemarle community that the U.S. 29 Bypass “has a long way to…