More Va. roads to be paved, post-audit

By: Peter Bacque | Media General News Service
Published: September 24, 2010

RICHMOND — Virginians will be driving on smoother roads come summer, state transportation officials said Friday.

“You’ll have smoother roads by June,” said state Transportation Commissioner Gregory A. Whirley. “We’re not promising that every road will be smooth, but the work will begin in March and April.”

Following on a critical audit of its financial management this week, the Virginia Department of Transportation will advertise by Dec. 31 $200 million to $250 million more in repaving projects than had been planned, Whirley said.

“That’s a 100-percent increase,” he said.
“People are going to see a enormous amount of work going on next spring, summer and fall,” state Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton said Friday.

An audit of the Virginia Department of Transportation ordered by Gov. Bob McDonnell and released Thursday said the agency has more than $1 billion from a variety of large reserves, balances and federal credits that can used to do more highway maintenance and construction, and do the work sooner than the department had planned.

“It hasn’t been pushed out the door in a timely fashion,” said Whirley, who was appointed by McDonnell in July to head the department.

Now, Connaughton said, “We’re going to put the money where it was supposed to go.”
McDonnell has given state transportation officials 45 days to develop a plan for spending the funds on highway maintenance and construction work.

“It’s not new money,” Whirley said, “but we will have additional projects.”
VDOT expects to put $614 million worth of projects out to bid within 12 months, and another $440 million in projects into the state’s six-year transportation improvement program, department spokesman Jeff Caldwell said.

“We’re very excited ... that this work is going to get out on the street,” said Jeffrey C. Southard, executive vice president of the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance, which represents the road- and transportation-building industry.

In the Richmond region, long-sought transportation projects “would certainly benefit from an increase in available transportation funding,” said Robert Crum, the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission’s executive director.

While applauding the prospect of the infusion of funds accelerating road improvements, Virginia’s transportation future is still precarious, officials said.

“We have significant unfunded transportation needs,” said Bob Chase, president of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, representing that traffic-clogged region’s business community.

“The long-term value of the governor’s proposed reforms will be determined by the extent the General Assembly musters the political will to approve new dedicated transportation funding,” Chase said.

VDOT has a $3.32 billion budget this year, which expects to grow, Whirley said, as the new projects are added in.

With 57,867 miles of roads, Virginia has the nation’s third largest state-maintained highway system.

Peter Bacque reports for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.