(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on May 20, 2010.)
Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) recently released a working draft of its six-year improvement program for fiscal-years 2011 to 2016.
The $7.7 billion plan proposes $2.1 billion for rail and public transportation and $5.6 billion for highway construction, Virginia Department of Transportation officials said in a prepared statement.
Rail and public transportation funding is similar to levels in the revised plan for fiscal-years 2010 to 2015. However, the current six-year plan proposes a 10 percent decrease in total funding from the six-year plan adopted in June 2009.
The current plan would focus on funding deficits for projects under way, maximizing the use of federal funds, funding projects already under way and those with new phases starting in FY2011, and providing dollars for deficient bridges and roads, DOT officials said.