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VDOT takes a major hit
Transportation in Virginia is about to take a major hit: between $2.1 and $2.6 billion over the next six years. The announcement was made Oct. 15 by Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer, who said the missing revenue isn't expected to bounce back.“These are permanent and long-term changes,” he said.
The cutbacks are expected to impact road construction and transit in a big way but those details have not yet been worked out. For the moment, transportation officials are focusing on layoffs and service cuts.
David Ekern, the commissioner for the Virginia Department of Transportation, said he's planning to lay off 800-900 full-time employees, in addition to 700 part-time employees and contractors. Another 6 to 8 percent of VDOT's workforce will leave through attrition.
Some of those job cuts will be a result of office closures. For example, most rural counties have their own VDOT residencies. Some of those residencies will be closed so counties will need to double up.
Maintenance offices will also be affected, Ekern said. In Northern Virginia, the district office and a maintenance office are located in Fairfax. Prince William and Loudoun counties each have a maintenance office as well, while Culpeper and Fauquier counties each have their own residency.
What that means for drivers, Ekern said, is a lower standard for service on the commonwealth's roads. Motorists will see conditions worsen in mowing, rest areas, ferry services and snow and ice removal, for starters.
“It will be across the board. It will affect every part of a driver's life,” he said.
This coming winter, snow removal services will likely remain unchanged, Ekern said, although cutbacks will impact the winter road situation in future years.
However, both Ekern and Homer were quick to point out that the one area that won't be affected is safety. As bridges and tunnels fall into disrepair, they'll be closed and while that will be problematic, it's better than the alternative, Homer said.
“They will never be operated in an unsafe fashion,” he added. “People may be inconvenienced; there may be economic impacts but safety will never be compromised.”
In the coming weeks, transportation officials will be putting together the next Six Year Plan for highway construction and transit projects. Major cutbacks are to be expected but projects currently under way or about to begin will not be affected. Homer listed Dulles rail, the Beltway hotlanes, Wilson Bridge and Telegraph Road as projects that will continue on schedule.
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