Sen. Stolle flips on HRBT
Including the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in any transportation fix is gaining supporters, and Sen. Ken Stolle has reversed course in two weeks time
Rather than widen the HRBT, planners have said a wider Monitor-Merrimac would provide congestion relief and greatly improve port access, easing truck traffic that today creates regional headaches.
Sen. Kenneth Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, said he is opposed to a Hampton Roads transportation plan that deviates from the current project list.
“They don’t decide what the projects are,” Stolle said. The Metropolitan Planning Organization makes that decision, and the MPO’s projects come first, he said. “I don’t think that’s going to have a very warm reception in the Senate,” he said. (Virginian-Pilot 3/11/08)
But Friday, Del. Glenn Oder stood up for the Peninsula.
Del. G. Glenn Oder, R-Newport News, drew a clear line in the sand Friday, predicting that Peninsula drivers could not be talked into backing a plan that doesn’t include congestion relief at the high-profile choke point.
“You’re not going to get the Peninsula to buy into a transportation package that doesn’t include the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.” (Daily Press 3/24/08)
And Stolle chimed in with his new song.
Sen. Ken Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, threw his weight behind enhancing the bridge-tunnel. “We can’t continue to ignore the political realities on the Peninsula,” he said.(Daily Press 3/24/08)
Del. Cosgrove, Chairman of the Hampton Roads caucus, put his finger on the problem. “The Peninsula has felt left out,” Cosgrove said. But, “they are a very large part of how we fund the projects.”
Perhaps that’s been the problem all along. Lots of people have been a very large part of how we fund the projects. Not many have been part of much anything else.
Democrats are mostly silent, with the occasional statewide tax increase proposal that no one out of the region supports. Gov. Kaine, in my interview with him last week, said project choices have to come from the region and not from him.
So, again, Republicans have to lead on the transportation issue, and risk that any solution will do to House Republicans what it did to Senate Republicans. Reminds me of a play named 1776 where John Adams exclaimed, “You stick to the rear on everything, so that if we should go under, you’ll still remain afloat!”
Is there any leadership in the Democratic Party anymore?
Category: Campaigns and Elections
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I’m surprised that anyone would think that a 3rd Crossing would do anything meaningful to relieve traffic congestion. Let’s call it what it is: a result of the buisness lobby. It’s the end result of allowing unelectable and unaccountable persons like Art Collins a real input in the decision making process. It doesn’t do anything meaningful to relieve traffic congestion because the MMBT only services a part of the main traffic corridor (I664 as opposed to I64).
The simple fact is that the HRBT is already old and will need to be significantly renovated to keep it safe and serviceable – VDOT employees will tell you the same thing. It makes sense to upgrade the main corridor and renovate an HRBT that will need it in the future anyway.
I’ve been commuting for the better part of 10 years and I can tell you that when the HRBT gets congested, a ripple effect occurs that affects the back roads as well. HRBT traffic that gets backed up to Granby or Tidewater causes Ward’s Corner to become a nightmare, and Ocean View turns into a parking lot. Same thing in the opposite direction; try going down Armistead when its backed up going east on I64.
It’s really high time to shelve the 3rd Crossing where it belongs: on a nice list of wants for the region. The big need is an expansion and renovation of the HRBT that will help everyone.