Free Republic

Christiana Briganti-Dunn is a civil engineer who oversees design-build projects for the Virginia Department of Transportation, but two years ago, she found herself holding a set of paint swatches up against a wall like a homeowner planning a kitchen renovation. The wall was at Chapman Mill, a five-story stone gristmill built in the 18th century near Broad Run, Va. Christiana’s job was to pick colors that would be painted on a set of bridge abutments on nearby Interstate 66. Everyone wanted the bridges to look pretty. “When we were meeting with the communities of Haymarket and western Prince William County,...

The widening of Interstate 66 outside the Capital Beltway is bringing HOT lanes to one of the region’s most congested corridors. It also will make room for bicyclists and pedestrians — putting them on a trail next to one of the region’s busiest and most congested highways. The bike path, part of the $2.3 billion interstate expansion project, has drawn cheers and criticism from biking aficionados who welcome the addition of the trail but say, if built as proposed, users will be too close to cars whizzing by on the interstate and exposed to toxic exhaust fumes. For about five...

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao had been on the job only a few weeks when she took action on one of the region's most intractable problems and directed millions in federal transit dollars be withheld from the District, Maryland and Virginia until they create a safety agency to oversee D.C.'s subway, Metro. Chao was making good on a threat by her predecessor, Anthony Foxx, a move that surprised some local officials who had hoped that the jurisdictions had shown enough progress to stave off the action. It's too soon to say whether Chao's action is a sign she will continue...

Dear Editor, As states and municipalities around the nation struggle to find ways to afford much-needed improvements to aging and congested roadways, the Commonwealth of Virginia has established itself as an innovative leader when it comes to carefully prioritizing the state’s transportation investments and wisely leveraging private sector resources to ensure the best deal for state taxpayers. The I-66 Outside the Beltway project exemplifies this leadership, and Cintra, together with its partner Meridiam, is proud to be part of the team selected by the Commonwealth to finance, design, build, operate and maintain this more than $3 billion transformative project at...

PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has proposed a $1 trillion plan to fix America’s infrastructure. It relies on public-private partnerships as its primary source of financing. Our country’s complex transportation network needs an overhaul, but private investment is not the answer, mainly because of the returns that investors expect. Public-private partnerships can be an excellent procurement tool, but selecting the right project is key. Virginia has been a national leader in such deals since the General Assembly passed the Public Private Partnership Act in 1995. The law was designed for the partnerships to be used as an option for certain projects if...

The Commonwealth of Virginia awarded procurement of its Transform66 Outside the Beltway project to I-66 Express Mobility Partners, a consortium of private companies, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced on Nov. 3. I-66 Express Mobility Partners, which consists of transportation infrastructure company Cintra, public infrastructure investment firm Meridiam, and the contractors Ferrovial Agroman US and Allan Myers VA, Inc., will be responsible for financing, designing, building, maintaining and operating the interstate expansion. The Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) Transform66 Outside the Beltway project will add two express lanes in each direction between I-495 and Gainesville along with three general purpose lanes...

Virginia will increase speed limits to 70 mph on 680 miles of interstates by the end of the year. Gov. Robert F. McDonnell announced the change Wednesday. It will affect interstates located in areas that are rural or less populated. It includes segments of Interstate 66, from Faquier County to Interstate 81 and Interstate 95 from south of Fredricksburg to Ashland and from Prince George County to the North Carolina border. The Virginia Department of Transportation outlined the plan at a meeting of the Commonwealth Transportation Board on Wednesday. State officials said in a statement that the change should help...

A Virginia highway official is recommending the state raise the speed limit on most interstates to 70 mph by year’s end. That would include nearly all of Interstate 81 in Virginia, except for major urban areas including the stretch between Christiansburg and Roanoke, and parts of I-64, I-66, I-85 and I-95. Connie Sorrell, chief of system operations at the Virginia Department of Transportation, said this afternoon that she will brief the Commonwealth Transportation Board on her recommendation Wednesday. Sorrell said she recommends the higher limit for “areas that we felt could be operated safety at 70 miles per hour.” Sorrell...

Gov.-elect Timothy M. Kaine (D) said yesterday that he will immediately begin a series of town hall meetings across Virginia to rally public support for a legislative battle next year over fixing the state's transportation problems. As he began the process of assembling a cabinet, Kaine said he plans to tour the state, stopping first in Manassas next week. As a candidate, he called traffic congestion on the state's roads a "crisis" and vowed to convene meetings with average people and transportation experts to discuss solutions. "We must ensure that taxpayer dollars marked for transportation are only used for transportation,...