VDOT
Philip Frasier, Administrator of the Ashland VDOT residency
began his monthly update to the Goochland Board of Supervisors at its August 4
meeting with a sobering announcement that a VDOT employee in the Hampton Roads district
died after being struck and killed in a work zone on Rt. 460. Frasier urged everyone
to respect VDOT construction zones and the people who work there. “They support
our transportation network and deserve respect of drivers and space to do their
job safely,” said Frasier. VDOT employees’ lives are endangered by people who drive
distractedly with their noses in their phones and speed through work zones Some
of the bravest people in the world face oncoming traffic armed only with a stop
sign on a pole. Frasier asked all to respect work zones so VDOT employees can
go home to their families at the end of the workday.
Frasier reported that the Oilville roundabout, at the top of
the westbound I64 off ramp. will go to advertisement next week. This project expected to ease dangerous congestion
on the westbound off ramp from I64 onto Oilville Road. (Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/1255/10781/Oilville-RdI-64-Westbound-Ramp-Roundabou
for details)
CVTA
You’ve probably seen the “buy your gas in Goochland”
messages urging us to fill our fuel tanks locally to help fund road projects
and not given it much thought.
Chet Parsons, Executive Director of the Central Virginia Transportation
Authority (CVTA), explained how that tax collected from local fuel sales translates
into county road improvements.
He began his presentation with an overview about the CVTA, click
on https://cvtava.org/
to watch the video.
In 2020, Parsons explained, the Virginia General Assembly
created the CVTA, comprised of nine jurisdictions in the region—Richmond City, Town
of Ashland, Henrico, Hanover, New Kent, Goochland, Chesterfield, Powhatan, and Charles
City—to “fund critical transportation needs across Central Virginia. CVTA
drives priority projects that improve long-term accessibility, economic
development, mobility, and quality of life across Central Virginia.”
Goochland roads are built and maintained by VDOT. We compete
with jurisdictions across the Commonwealth for scarce road dollars. The CVTA administers
revenues generated by wholesale fuel taxes and sales and use taxes to fund
transportation projects in its region that are prioritized using data driven
scoring.
Since 2023, said Parsons, that revenue, about two thirds
from sales and use tax, has grown from approximately $211 million to more than $229
million and continues to increase. Those dollars are divided into three buckets;
50 percent goes to the locality where is was generated. Of the remainder, 15
percent goes to GRTC (Greater Richmond Transit Company) for regional public
transportation, and the other 35 to fund projects that benefit the region as a
whole, including the diverging diamond project currently in the works on
Ashland Road, which cannot be funded in other ways. Regionally, Parson said, 77
regional projects have been funded since 2020, supported by $862.6 million. Funds
applied locally include $33,669,829 for the Ashland Road diverging diamond; $606,000
for the Oilville Road roundabout; and $7,500,000 for improvements to the Rt.288/Rt. 250 interchange.
“Goochland gets a sizable monthly check from CVTA, for use
on any transportation project that has been identified by the county,” said
Parsons. Since 2021, he reported that Goochland has received $15,738,482 in
CVTA funds.
Since 2021, Goochland has received CVTA funding commitments
for $59,267, 935, about 7 percent of the total, making the county very competitive
for its size, in getting projects funded. The priority now is to get projects
shovel ready, which helps move them forward.
In addition to funding projects, CVTA contributes matching
funds to support “Smart Scale” applications, one of several competitive VDOT
processes used to distribute transportation dollars throughout the Commonwealth.
Central Virginia “has done very, very well” in the last round of Smart Scale
funding, Parsons said.
The CVTA is also authorized by statute to issue bonds to
fund huge regional projects beyond the typical “pay go” scope. CVTA is busily
looking forward to future projects.
Tom Winfree, District 3, who currently represents Goochland on
the CVTA board, commended Parsons and declared that CVTA is a government
program that really works. He noted that
the degree of matching and leverage of funds helps Goochland to pull off
significant projects. Winfree commended Neil Spoonhower, District 2, a founding
member of the CVTA board for his important work, and significant input that is
still bearing fruit. Winfree also noted
that County Engineer Austin Goyne’s leadership role on the Technical Advisory Committee,
which does the legwork for CVTA projects, also stands Goochland in good stead
on the transportation front.
Prioritizing road improvements and finding ways to pay for
them is a complicated process. Kudos to all who navigate the labyrinth move us
forward.
2 comments:
Re the “buy your gas in Goochland” messages; we're never told just how much the purchase of a gallon of gas in Goochland contributes to Goochland's roads. I would guess that the contribution to Goochland's roads is far exceeded by the saving from buying gas at, say, Costco (assuming Costco isn't too far out of my normal flight path) rather than paying anywhere between 15 to as much as 50 cents per gallon more locally. All other things being equal (or nearly equal) it makes sense to buy gas here. But, how often are "all other things" anywhere near equal?
Hear hear! Rolling in money!
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