Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Third Crossing Back in Play

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by

James A. Bacon
in

Hampton Roads’ “Third Crossing” is back in play. A majority of Hampton Roads legislators have reached an informal agreement that the bridge-tunnel linking Norfolk and Newports News does need to be built, quelling speculation that the massive project was unaffordable, given the limited funding mechanisms available. (Read the Virginian-Pilot story here.)

What remained unresolved was how to pay for the Third Crossing and other expensive highway projects — requiring an estimated $275 million a year — that local political and business leaders insist are necessary. Legislators are exploring a package of tolls and selective regional taxes.

There are good reasons for supporting the Third Crossing from an economic development perspective. But that constitutes only one part of legislators’ ambitious road-construction plans, most of which are designed to alleviate congestion.

Still absent from the discussion is the idea that commuters, businesses or anyone else also need to alter their behavior in any way. From what I’ve read, land use reform, carpooling, mass transit, telework and schedule shifting don’t seem to be on the table. I can only hope that Hampton Roads lawmakers are considering alternatives that the newspapers just aren’t covering.

It’s ironic that Hampton Roads is the locale for two of the more successful suburban redevelopment projects in the state — Town Center in Pembroke and Oyster Point in Newport News — not to mention the incredibly successful revitalization of downtown Norfolk. From what I can tell, those success stories, which increase density around existing infrastructure without significantly increasing congestion, don’t appear to have had any impact on the local discourse about transportation.

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12 responses to “Third Crossing Back in Play”

  1. James Atticus Bowden Avatar
    James Atticus Bowden

    Look at the details.

    Does the plan still have truck traffic being dumped on I-64 on The Peninsula or on an improved 460 on Southside?

    Is it the all or nothing deal the politicians have been pushing for almost a decade – more concrete, more concrete, more concrete? That ‘comprehensive’ plan doesn’t reduce congestion.

    If they could set priorities, then funding might be less of a problem.

    And, since all politics is local, never lose sight of the unelected Regional government. An unaccountable government that can raise taxes, hire contractors, rent offices, hire staff etc is an open invitation to corruption. It puts billions of dollars in the hands of the wrong people without the right accountability to The People. The voters have said NO thrice.

  2. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    What unelected government? My understanding is that any tax or fee would have to be approved by the various city councils and county supervisors who are very much elected. If that is the way it works, “taxation without representation” is not a valid whine.

    Hampton Roads has some specific problems that all the Town Point developments in the world won’t solve. They have to move 20,000+ into and out of one employer every day, they have to move the trucks into and out of the ports, they have to move the beach tourists in and out and through to N.C. All three problems involve multiple water crossings. They can be tolled, they can be congestion priced, but this is going to take concrete, concrete, concrete.

  3. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Oh, and I heard another interesting twist on the “no” vote in 2002 today. Someone who voted no said his problem was all the military types who shop on base without paying sales taxes and buy gas on base without paying state gas taxes. Why should he pay higher taxes for their roads? That’s a fair question. (This will spark a reply I betcha).

  4. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    If you have been to the NN Shipbuilding area, it is surrounded by vacant or underutilized property. Crime and the lack of amenities are probably a hinderance, but some real redevelopment in that part of downtown Newport News might be a good step toward solving those particular congestion problems. What is happening in downtown Richmond or Norfolk has not spread to downtown Newport News. It could. The views of the James are a whole lot more impressive there.

  5. James Atticus Bowden Avatar
    James Atticus Bowden

    Anon 1:12. No politician will face the voters of the region with the name of the job – Hampton Roads Transportation blah blah – on the ballot.

    The politburo that includes unelected officials and officials elected by some people of some cities in the region isn’t an elected government.

    None of the construction projects address moving people to or from NN Shipyard or the Navy base. Facts are important.

    A new crossing to move trucks and trains from the Port of Virginia to an improved 460 corridor on the Southside is important to Hampton Roads and Viginia. You don’t need a unelected, unaccountable regional government to do that. You don’t need to pay for it with a sales tax.

  6. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    I think we need to put to bed the idea of whether “unelected” regional government should be allowed because they already exist whether folks like them or not conceptually.

    Regional Transportation Authorities ALREADY exist as Federally-mandated MPOs throughout Virginia …(there are at least 12 in Virginia) read on….

    Federal regulations actually REQUIRE that urbanized areas throughout the United States have Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to conduct a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process.

    Voting members of the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization include representatives from the Cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg, and the Counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, and York, as well as the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads, James City County Transit, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission. http://www.hrpdc.org/transport/mpo.shtml

    These MPOs are already vested with the authority to approve or disapprove ANY/ALL transportation projects within their aggregated jurisdictional boundaries.

    They aleady have the authority to decide how funding – Federal, State, and local including private will be spent.

    For instance, many areas have imposed a 2% sales tax for transportation. This taxing power was approved at the Virginia General Assembly level and individual member jurisdictions via their elected officials can decide to impose the tax (or not) either my referenda or by BOS votes.

    What the GA did was allow them to add an additional sales tax dedicated for transportation AND for them to directly solicit PPTA Toll road proposals (vice only VDOT having that ability).

    As we speak – I would be not suprised that the same offer will be made to other MPOs in Virginia not the least of which would be the Washington Area MPO (which is multi-state MPO).

    If the mantra is going to continue “no unelected regional governments”.. take note.. your’re too late! If this is something you do not want.. then be prepared to lobby your elected Congressmen and Senators because it is a Federal Law that mandates the MPOs.

    Otherwise.. I’d politely point out that such discussions are not germane.. to ongoing events.

  7. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    I think the most important part of this story is this:

    “It became pretty clear we needed to come forward with a regional self-help plan,” Jones said. “This is it. This is a good starting point for discussion. It’s still a work in progress.”

    It is.. as the paper opines indeed:

    “a stunning breakthrough by a delegation that has been deeply divided for eight months on how to solve the region’s ever-worsening traffic problems.”

    In other words – they have taken ownership of the problem and while they won’t turn down state money… they know that it is truly up to them to move things forward in that region and not wait for a state solution.

    and this is the way it should be in my opinion. Let each region be responsible for both it’s land-use and transportation decisions. Let them decide priorities and let them decide who will pay and how.

    I think it is safe to say that every other urban jurisdiction in Virginia is paying close attention to this and would not be suprised at all.. that they be offered a similar ability.

  8. James Atticus Bowden Avatar
    James Atticus Bowden

    Larry: If the issue is just history, then why did we vote ‘NO’ to change the Constitution in 98 to create an unelected regional taxing authority and again vote ‘NO’ in 02 to a sales tax and unelected regional taxing authority?

    MPOs may exist and have the authority to exist. But, a taxing, unelected, unaccountable MPO doesn’t exist here (Hampton Roads) to tax us now.

    What were those votes about in 98 and 02? The voters said ‘NO’. Why did the regional transportation authority need taxing authority in the past, but not now? What changed?

    A planning organization is fine. But a taxing government isn’t.

  9. Insider Avatar
    Insider

    Why should Hampton Roads be stuck paying for a 5 billion dollar crossing that helps trucks and ports. Doesn’t the whole state benefit by that?

    It’s not being built for local commuters. It’s being built for trucks that head right out of here.

  10. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    re: Regional Authorities/history

    I know in one case in Tidewater .. it was about raising a tax.. sending the revenue to Richmond and the letting VDOT dictate how it would be spent. That proposal (referenda) went down in flames. The same offer was rejected in NoVa.

    You do have an MPO in Tidewater – http://www.hrpdc.org/

    ALL transportation funding – regardless of the source or how it is raised – is coordinated with that MPO in terms of what it will be spent for.

    Currently Va State Law already allows jurisdictions to form Regional Taxing Authorities for Transportation Districts if I’m not mistaken where they can levy a 2% tax. The formation of such Authorities have to be voted on by elected officials who presumedly can remove anyone who does not vote in the interests of those who appointed them – and this has happened in other authorities. Usually the representative on the authority conducts him/herself according to what their home jursidictional elected reps voted on.

    So what I am saying.. is that the ability for a Regional Authority to tax.. already exists in Va Law…and, in fact, there are already Regional Authorities who determine how dedicated taxes will be allocated for transportation.

    The mechanism already exists and is functioning… the train has left the station…

  11. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    re: the concept of the port benefiting Va.

    why not put TOLLs on I-64 and build a US 460 Toll Road.. collect from Trucks .. and allocate some of that back to the state?

    the point here is.. why not support user-fee/tolling… as a means to generate the revenue then have the argument about how to allocate?

    can’t do the second thing without the first…

  12. James Atticus Bowden Avatar
    James Atticus Bowden

    Tolls on I-64 and 460 are a good idea – let’s make it happen. Good idea to help pay for improvements.

    Marty Williams’ legislation to have the localities vote on approving the taxing authority didn’t get through the GA this year. They need GA approval through legislation first for the cities and counties to vote for a taxing regional government.

    Marty’s plan was a nice finesse because it required a majority of just 9 (I think) localities and exempted my town (a NO vote) with a due date after the Nov elections! So, it would be a done deal. Any city council member or board of supervisor who lost their job because of the vote could be hired by the unaccountable regional government at a nice salary or get a fat contract. Life is good. Except the bill didn’t pass.

    So, be careful folks on Sep 27th for that legislative session – this is one bill that needs to die again.

    The majority of the politicians in the GA, including Republicans, supported the 02 Tax Scam. The People said NO. Now,they know to not put it before the voters. The majority of the politicians may support Marty’s plan to approve this regional government in Nov. Their voters don’t – just their big donors.

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