Monday, January 27, 2020

Public Invited To Meetings On Interstate 95 Corridor Improvement Plan

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), supported by the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI), the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), will study Interstate 95 (I-95) to initiate a data-driven study to develop the I-95 Corridor Plan which will (i) identify key problem areas along the corridor, and (ii) identify potential solutions and areas for additional review and study.
As directed in Senate Joint Resolution 276 and House Joint Resolution 581 during the 2019 General Assembly, the study team will identify targeted improvements and incident management strategies for the corridor.

Interim I-95 Corridor Improvement Plan

Public Briefings

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) will receive briefings during the study time frame.

Public Involvement

Attend a meeting:
You are invited to the final series of meetings, which will be focused on reviewing results of the study’s findings, which include development of a corridor-wide operations and arterial roadway upgrade plan for implementation. Locations requiring additional study have also been identified. The meetings will include a brief presentation followed by an open house, which will allow attendees to speak one-on-one with study team members.Feedback provided by members of communities, industries, and other stakeholders are being considered as team members finalize the study and prepare a draft plan. The CTB plans to report the study’s findings to the General Assembly during the 2020 General Assembly session. 
Public meetings will be held at the below-listed dates and times at the noted locations.
Monday, January 27, 2020
Fredericksburg*
Fredericksburg District Auditorium
87 Deacon Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22405

6-8 p.m.

*Presentation from 7:30-8 p.m. as part of Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization public meeting, held at same location. VDOT staff will be available 6-8 p.m. to review plan materials and answer questions.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Northern Virginia**
South County Middle School
8700 Laurel Crest Drive
Lorton, VA 22079

6-8 p.m.

**Presentation will be held near the beginning of the meeting.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Richmond/Hampton Roads**
Hilton Garden Inn Richmond South/Southpark
800 Southpark Boulevard
Colonial Heights, VA 23834

5-7 p.m.

**Presentation will be held near the beginning of the meeting.


Any questions or comments can be submitted via email to: VA95corridorplan@vdot.virginia.gov.
Meeting materials will be posted beginning January 27, 2020.

Next Steps:

Prior to full finalization of the Interstate 95 Corridor Improvement Plan, the study team will also conduct a study of Interstate 64 in the summer of 2020. Once complete, the study team will present a listing of prioritized capital projects for both interstate corridors to the CTB for its consideration in determining potential allocations from available funding sources. Following the prioritization, the Interim I-95 Corridor Improvement Plan will be finalized and presented to the CTB for action. 

Meeting Materials:

Third Series

  • Coming soon!

Second Series

Corridor-Wide Improvement Strategies:
Northern Virginia District:
Richmond District:
Fredericksburg District:
Richmond District:
Hampton Roads District:

First Series

General Information Along Corridor:
Review the below materials specific to the locations that affect you.
Northern Virginia District:
Fredericksburg District:
Richmond District:
  • <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S6Xa4MBIpSCW4PXNMPaldoBh

Thursday, January 23, 2020

FHWA Awards $8 Million to 10 States for Innovative Highway Projects

WASHINGTON – The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced more than $8 million in Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration program grants to state departments of transportation (DOTs) and local governments in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and North Dakota.  The grants will help deliver bridge projects sooner, improve traffic management, and accelerate the use of innovative tools and technologies.

“These funds will help support our state and local partners across the country in their efforts to deliver more resilient roads, bridges and highways for the traveling public,” said Federal Highway Administrator Nicole R. Nason.  “The grants being awarded today will help advance innovative transportation solutions to improve safety and mobility on America’s roadways.”

Since the launch of the AID Demonstration in February 2014, and including the grants announced today, FHWA officials have awarded more than $74 million for 102 grants to help federal land management agencies, tribal governments, state DOTs, metropolitan planning organizations, and local governments accelerate the use of innovative practices and improve safety.  The Oklahoma Department of Transportation, for example, is using a $1 million grant awarded in Fiscal Year 2017 to help pay for its first Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI).  That project will demolish the existing SH-6 bridges over I-40, replace them with the DDI, and create a safer intersection in Elk City.

FY 2019 Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration Program Grants

Agency
Amount
Project Description
Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and Baldwin County Highway Department
$1,000,000
ALDOT and Baldwin County will employ two innovations – Accelerated Bridge Construction and Next Beam Ultra High-Performance Concrete Retrofit – to shorten construction time from 14 weeks to six weeks for bridge retrofit projects.
Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT)
$313,600
ArDOT will use 3D Modeling and e-Construction, two innovations supported by FHWA, to enhance the use of Global Navigation Satellite System technology in the engineering and construction phases of projects.
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)
$800,000
CDOT will utilize Snow Plow Signal Priority to improve traffic flow during and after snow removal.
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and City of Orlando
$998,216
FDOT will use its grant to improve traffic signalization at intersections in sections of Orlando.  A pilot demonstration that the grant will help fund is part of a larger project being undertaken to intelligently manage transportation flows around Orlando’s downtown area.
Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and City of Jerseyville
$1,000,000
IDOT will employ an innovative material known as compacted concrete pavement to improve roadway surface conditions on Hollow Avenue in Jerseyville.
Iowa Department of Transportation and City of Dubuque
$998,000
The Iowa Department of Transportation and the City of Dubuque’s Smart Traffic Routing with Efficient and Effective Traffic Signals project will benefit from an AID grant that can help develop a smart, next-generation traffic management and control system that will ultimately link 11 corridors and allow them to act as one integrated system.

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
$1,000,000
MDOT will employ two innovations – Accelerated Bridge Construction and Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems (PBES) – to reduce the number of potential delays caused by traffic during construction of the 2nd Avenue Network Arch Superstructure project.
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the City of Winona
$1,000,000
MnDOT will use this grant for an innovative road project to improve safety, mobility, and access for drivers and bicyclists along Broadway Avenue in the City of Winona.
New York State Department of Transportation
(NYSDOT)
$740,000
NYSDOT will use its grant to improve traffic incident management on a region-wide basis.
North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT)
$241,687
NDDOT is using its grant to deploy a robot-driven crash truck known as an “autonomous attenuator” that can protect workers from traffic when doing routine maintenance activities.
TOTAL
$8,091,503


For more information about these grants, and FHWA’s AID demonstration program, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/accelerating/grants.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Modernizing The Lighting on Virginia Roads

RICHMOND — New energy-efficient lighting will make nighttime driving safer on Virginia’s highways, Governor Ralph Northam said today. He announced that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will contract with Trane to replace more than 9,600 highway lights with light-emitting diode (LED) products, improving roadway visibility and energy efficiency.
The lighting upgrade will reduce highway lights’ energy consumption by more than 50 percent and triple the expected lifetime from five years to 15 or more years. This project is aligned with the clean energy goals the governor laid out in his 2018 Virginia Energy Plan and in Executive Order Forty-Three which he signed in September.
Key improvements of the lighting modernization project include:
  • Consuming 11 million fewer kilowatt-hours per year following replacement—enough to power roughly 16,000 refrigerators for a year
  • Resulting in an estimated 8,800-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
  • Improving drivers’ ability to see objects at night, such as pedestrians, animals, and debris
  • Reducing crash risks as fewer light replacements mean fewer roadway work zones
  • Saving taxpayer dollars through energy efficiency and longer product life
This lighting modernization project will reduce energy use and increase road safety,” said Governor Northam. “It’s an important step forward as we work to make Virginia a leader in clean energy, and I commend VDOT and Trane on their work to improve our roadways, our communities, and our environment.”
The lighting project is expected to result in savings for the Commonwealth starting on day one, with a cumulative net savings of $4.6 million by 2036. The savings stems from lower energy bills and reduced operations and maintenance costs for future light replacement. VDOT selected LED lights to optimize road user visibility and minimize environmental impacts.

“VDOT’s collaboration with industry, health policy experts, and other stakeholders has ensured that we are delivering the highest standard of lighting that also has a minimal impact on our environment,” said Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. “Virginia’s forward-thinking approach has made the Commonwealth a national model for safe and effective highway lighting.”

VDOT is funding the lighting upgrade project using the Virginia Energy Management Program’s energy performance contract option, which allows VDOT to finance infrastructure improvements using future energy and operational savings. VDOT partnered with Trane following a competitive procurement process.

“Trane has completed over $280 million in performance contracting, and successfully implemented projects for many Commonwealth of Virginia agencies,” said Larry Cummings, Marketing Leader and Strategic Partnerships at Trane. “We are proud to collaborate with VDOT to enhance the lighting levels on Virginia’s roads to improve safety and energy use.”

Light replacement will start in spring 2020. This project includes lights located on limited-access highways and associated interchanges, as well as VDOT-owned park-and-ride lots, rest areas, and weigh stations in the Richmond, Fredericksburg, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia districts.