The state is now taking bids to build 55 miles of new Interstate-quality, limited-access highway through SE Virginia. This would take a lot of pressure off of Interstate 64, and might relieve the need (or some of it), for more crossings across the James River. The cost is estimated at a bit over $1 billion. Somehow, to them, this seems excessive.
What's got everybody upset is that given the bullheaded legislature here, it will have to be a toll road. Tolls will be somewhere in the $4-13 range.
How the traveling public would react to such rates is unclear, but the issue underscores the challenges facing the General Assembly when it reconvenes in Richmond next week for a special session on transportation.
The Republican-dominated House has rejected calls for higher gasoline or sales taxes, arguing instead that existing money and a heavy reliance on tolls are better financing options.
Tolls are not popular, however, and the issue could prove a tough sell with many commuters who applauded lawmakers when they removed tolls from Interstate 264 in Virginia Beach in 1995.
At the same time, no one seems to bat an eye at the idea of what is called "The Third Crossing". This involves improving existing highway, and adding new tunnels and bridges to make more traffic across the James River possible. Wherever possible it is designed so that things like Interstate interchanges are located directly above vast stretches of open water (careful pulling to the side for that flat!).
Why is it needed? Well, the area it serves runs directly through the Port of Virginia, where huge amounts of cargo containers arrive in the U.S. It also skirts Craney Island, which is a huge pile of dredge material that is also to be turned into a container ship port. It's all about economic development of cargo traffic; it has nothing to do with travel by the general public.
Again, this monster is going to have to be paid for with tolls from everyone, even though it's for the cargo carriers. Total inflated cost - $4.32 billion. Why was $1 billion for a brand new 55 mile highway unreasonable, but $4+ billion for 13 miles isn't?
I have an alternate plan. Everyone here knows that the reasons that traffic gets so screwed up is because the truckers try to pull silly things like taking a too tall truck through the existing tunnels. So, instead of building the Third Crossing, let's do this: ban these trucks from the existing tunnels, and tell the transit companies that if they want to get their containers to I-95, for the trip up and down the east coast, they'll have to take the new US 460 toll road. That pays for US 460, keeps a slew of people from getting killed in the tunnels, and eliminates the need for the Third Crossing.
The only people this should upset are those at Skanska, who were supposed to build the new tunnels. You remember Skanska! They're the folks that dig such a swell job on Boston's I-93 "Big Dig".
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