First of all, it’s physically impossible to expand the HRBT beyond 2 more lanes, making your argument moot.

In addition, given that you’re concept of “the truth” is a collection of far right-wing conspiracy theories, over 98% of us are “liars” in that we didn’t buy in to the b.s.

Those are the facts found in the EIS and the briefings for the CTB when the so-called “Third Crossing” (CBA 9) was selected by the CTB instead of adding more lanes to the HRBT.

Once again, you prove MY point. You don’t like the real facts – you find “facts” that suit your agenda.

And yes, you are a liar.

It was good enough that the TPO got the Presentation. That’s where I saw it.

As for the “different result”, Reid and I are refering to entirely different grading systems. ODU’s was on congestion alone; what Reid is refering to is an overall testbed of regional projects.

Sorry, Henry. Just because you watched doesn’t meet my level of “peer review.”

The students were using the same software and guidelines that professionals would have. They modeled an expanded HRBT alone vs. building The Third Crossing. I saw the model run – and The Third Crossing won easily.

Yes, let’s decide billions of dollars of public policy based on a school project.

Thanks for proving who the real liar here is. One study was commissioned by the TPO, the other was done by ODU students. Oh, since facts like that don’t support your extremist agenda, you simply resort to calling me “a liar”.

Everyone should notice here that:

1. When anyone has the audacity to challenge the VBTA line, Reid simple resorts to name-calling at them.

2. Reid never starts to refute my point about the physical constraints on HRBT expansion.

Game, set, match. Now Reid can go cry to his friend Harvey.

Your post does point out anohter aspect of the lies being pushed by special interests. Here henry does not refute the TRUTH about what I wrote, he tried to refute it by offering “at least two different studies …”.

Guys like Henry and Mike like to invent their own “facts” when the real facts get in their way. The modelling I was discussing was conducted by the HRPDC. Hardly a VBTA shill organization.

Notice Henry doesn’t offer any facts about these “studies”, or WHO conducted them, when???

Henry has a history of claiming “facts” but when he is challenged to support his “facts” he goes into attack mode and eventually, when you pin him down, he admits that he was repeating something someone else told him.

The problem with HRBT expansion is that it’s physically impossible to expand beyond two more lanes – to 6 total. While Reid wants to bring up computer modeling, at least two different studies have shown that The Third Crossing is much more effective in the event of trouble at the HRBT than additional HRBT lanes.

We have true NEEDS here in Tidewater. But we can’t get them addressed because Mike and his well connected friends keep buying off the political process and pushing their pet projects instead.

The poster child and proof of this is the failure to add new lane capacity to the HRBT in the MPO/TPO list of priority projects.

The real humor and irony was that recently a new computer model was used to assess the region’s true priorities based largely on reducing traffic congestion and improving safety – and the HRBT was near the top of the list. The PORT LOBBY’s precious $5B T-Connector so-called “Third Crossing” wasn’t even in the top 10.

The locals that think they run things around here went nuts! Guys like Paul Fraim. Now they want to reprogram the model to raise the importance (weighted value/factoring) for non-quantifiable so-called “economic development”. They seek to skew the results in favor of the same old, same old – the same list of rejected pet projects – instead of addressing true NEEDS.

The game is always rigged at the “regional level”. The new TPO CTAC, secretly chosen in a secret process and packed with the ‘right people’ instead of true CITIZENS that are not part of Mike Barrett’s lobby is another clear example of what is WRONG with were we are going “moving forward”.

The all-appointed regional governance scam is a train wreck waiting to happen. SPSA, HRT, and the HRTA – all clear examples of unaccountable regional decision-making that IGNORES the voters and fights with the desires of the majority of citizens that live here.

Face it, the “public input process” is little more than window dressing that is a charade intended to TRY to pretend that the “regional decision making process” really cares about what the good people of Tidewater think.

If Mike Barrett wants to work towards a solution the best thing he could do is to keep out of the way and let new people step up – make use of regional referenda – and open up the transportation prioritization and selection process to the wider public – and finally – put some decent transportation improvements on the table that actually REDUCE COMMUTER TRAFFIC CONGESTION instead of endless port projects for speculative so-called “economic development”.

There is also the problem where our elected representatives have been stealing our funding for other purposes all the while insisting we have some sort of transportation crisis. Doesn’t make sense.

Keep in mind that the public is becoming increasingly informed and we scour the informations sources to see if the rhetoric matches reality. Government will have to take a different and more honest approach when marketing their ideas with their constituents.

I would guess that you have a bias given your Hampton Roads Partnership gravatar and the link to the smartregion.org site, but that’s ok. I have my opinions. I’m still willing to listen to what you think would work.

…..and you are right, because Mike has interjected politics into HB 3202 recently, partisan resistance has popped up. Ears deaf by politics. We weren’t ready to listen to Mike attempt to come up with something new.

Likewise, I’m not sure consultants playing SIM CITY with our real lives understand that like NOVA, residents in Hampton Roads/Tidewater feel taken advantage of by the rest of the commonwealth. A local resentment coupled with the economic difficulties we all face make it difficult to negotiate and cooperate with those we see continually suggest that we have to pay more (taxes) and sacrifice more.

Why don’t we forget about funding for a moment? There’s plenty of disagreement on what would even work. Funding might be more easily tackled if you can get people to see something as workable first.

Do you think we are in a “crisis”? Either way, and in summary, what are the problems? What are unrelated transportation opportunities and what is the payoff? Missy, what specifically do you think will work in the interests of residents in the area?