The Road to Wealth Destruction: The soon-to-be-built Charlottesville Bypass provides a lousy economic return on investment. Only government would spend $244 million on a project that yields less than $8 million a year in benefits to the public.
by James A. Bacon
February 14, 2012
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
The Promise and Pitfalls of P3s: The $2.1 billion Midtown-Downtown Tunnel project will alleviate some of the worst traffic congestion in Hampton Roads. But the deal raises questions about transparency and accountability in Virginia’s public-private partnership law.
by James A. Bacon
November 21, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
The Era of Foreclosed Possibilities: The 2007 recession marked the end of the era of Mass OverConsumption. Suburban sprawl is over. It’s time to think about what comes next – and to adapt state and local government policies to new realities.
by James A. Bacon
November 21, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
In the Dark: The McDonnell administration omitted critical information from its presentation last summer when seeking the Commonwealth Transportation Board’s approval to fund the controversial Charlottesville bypass.
by James A. Bacon
November 3, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
VDOT Revisits Land Use: Proposed new regulations would reform – or undermine, depending upon your point of view — a keystone 2007 law designed to limit the negative impact of local land use decisions upon state roads.
by James A. Bacon
October 14, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
Leveraging Dollars with Data: A data warehousing project coming online in late 2012 will help Virginia lawmakers forge education policy based upon hard data instead of anecdote and ideology.
by James A. Bacon
October 7, 2011
Bedeviled and Becalmed: The Commonwealth Transportation Board seems adrift, unsure how to cope with shrinking resources. Here’s a place to start: Fund projects that provide the greatest Return on Investment and focus on the nexus between transportation and land use.
by James A. Bacon
October 1, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
Fast, Efficient and… Less Accountable? The McDonnell administration hopes that VDOT’s “design-build” approach to highway engineering will advance projects more quickly and save millions of dollars. But public accountability may suffer.
by James A. Bacon
September 23, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
Zoom Zoom Zoom! Albemarle Supervisors declined to ask state highway officials to update an 18-year-old analysis of the Charlottesville Bypass before putting the project out for bids. It’s full speed ahead for the controversial, $245 million project.
by James A. Bacon
September 15, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
Common Sense or Delaying Tactic? Opponents of the Charlottesville Bypass are calling for an update to the project’s 18-year-old environmental impact analysis.
by James A. Bacon
September 12, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
High Maintenance: Maintenance is consuming Virginia’s transportation budget, and members of a Commonwealth Transportation Board subcommittee agree that the state should change should the way it does business. But urban-rural differences could make it hard to reach agreement.
by James A. Bacon
September 1, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
On a Roll: The McDonnell administration soon will unleash $8 billion in new transportation spending on Virginia, much of it geared to economic development. But not everyone is convinced that borrowing billions for highway mega-projects is a wise use of the commonwealth’s money.
by James A. Bacon
August 24, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
Gentlemen’s Agreement: Albemarle County and VDOT have reached an informal agreement on how to approach access management on U.S 29 north of Charlottesville.
by James A. Bacon
August 10, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
When Less Is More: Sometimes the answer to traffic congestion isn’t more asphalt, it’s less. By managing local vehicular access to state highways, VDOT can increase capacity at lower cost.
by James A. Bacon
August 4, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
Promises, Promises: The Charlottesville Bypass is a go, thanks to approval by the Charlottesville-Albemarle MPO. But it’s unclear when the money for other promised U.S. 29 corridor improvements will be forthcoming.
by James A. Bacon
July 28, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
A Bridge Too Near: There’s a new wrinkle in the Charlottesville Bypass controversy. The bridge across the Rivanna River may prove to be far more expensive than anyone anticipated.
by James A. Bacon
July 26, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
Bypass Surgery: The McDonnell administration has pushed through $200 million in funding for the Charlottesville Bypass over strenuous local opposition. The big question: Will the bypass need a bypass five years from now?
by James A. Bacon
July 20, 2011
Sponsor: Piedmont Environmental Council
