摘要: |
VIRGINIA, LIKE SO MANY OTHER GROWING STATES, IS FACED WITH A CONTINUAL TRANSPORTATION DILEMMA: HOW TO BEST ACCOMMODATE POPULATION GROWTH AND SUPPORT THE ASSOCIATED TRANSPORTATION NEEDS WITH LIMITED REVENUES AND INCREASING COSTS.
The answer: The Commonwealth is focusing on performance-based planning, using today's readily available big data to identify transportation problems at a corridor level. Performance-based planning provides a holistic approach to problem identification and serves as the basis for targeted solutions that most effectively address underlying transportation issues. Targeted solutions can come in many forms, such as examining lower-cost operations and demand management alternatives before committing to major capital investments. This can be seen in recent major efforts on interstate corridors within the Commonwealth. In 2018, Virginia developed its first interstate corridor improvement plan on I-81 in western Virginia-a significant freight route. The resulting plan led to legislation that provided funding for interstates across the Commonwealth, including more than $2 billion in dedicated funding to the I-81 corridor over a 10-year period for a slate of improvements ranging from operational upgrades and multimodal investments to highway capital improvements. Gov. Ralph Northam's 2020 Omnibus Transportation bill enshrined this statewide approach by including all Virginia interstate corridors under an Interstate Operations and Enhancement Program with dedicated funding. |