HJR 211: Joint Subcommittee to Study JLARC Recommendations on Aspects of Virginia’s Transportation Programs

October 28, 2002
Richmond

The meeting began with a presentation by the deputy secretary of transportation, who discussed Virginia's Statewide Transportation Plan, highway needs assessment, and VDOT's response to recommendations by the Auditor of Public Accounts. Development of the Statewide Transportation Plan is underway and will be completed in three phases, the first of which to be completed by December 1 of this year and the last of which no later the July 1, 2005.

As part of this process, a methodology for assessing the Commonwealth's transportation needs will be developed. The process will probably be developed by VDOT in-house, rather than the Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS) developed by the Federal Highway Administration and recommended by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) in its November 30, 2001, report, "Equity and Efficiency of Highway Construction and Transit Funding." Visions, goals, and objectives for the plan will be formulated, and input from stakeholders and the general public solicited and considered.

Subcommittee staff from the Division of Legislative Services and the House Appropriations Committee reviewed current highway construction allocation formulas, the history of legislation dealing with the statewide highway needs assessment and the Statewide Transportation Plan, and JLARC and other transportation program reform proposals. On the basis of staff's recommendations, the members agreed to recommend three pieces of legislation to the 2003 Session of the General Assembly: elimination of obsolete Code references to the statewide arterial highway network, use of local federal revenue-sharing funds for highway purposes, and creation of a special bridge fund. The subcommittee postponed consideration of other potential legislative recommendations until next year.

Chairman:

The Hon. Vincent F. Callahan, Jr.

For information, contact:

Alan B. Wambold
Division of Legislative Services

THE RECORD

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