The Third Crossing over Hampton Roads is slipping further out of reach, reports Christina Nuckols at the Virginian-Pilot. Citing uncertainty about state priorities, the two consortia that submitted plans to build the $3 billion mega-project have asked the state to put the project on hold for two years.
Some legislators have said they regarded the upgrading of U.S. 460 between Suffolk and Petersburg as the highest priority for the Tidewater region. But the state lacks the funds to subsidize that project, much less the far more ambitious Third Crossing.
Tidewater Skanska and Fluor Virginia Inc. had filed unsolicited bids to build the Third Crossing in 2004. Skanska had estimated that tolls could cover the lion’s share of the cost but some $600 million to $1.2 million in state and federal dollars would be needed. Given the state’s uncertain commitment to the project, neither firm wants to spend the money to develop more detailed plans.
House Transportation Chair Leo Wardrup, R-Virginia Beach, raised the key philosophical question: “If we can’t get there with tolls, there’s something wrong with how we’re running our highway program.”
I agree. If tolls won’t cover the construction costs, I would submit, either the project is too ambitious in size and scope, or the demand does not exist to justify building it. There are two exceptions to that line of logic: Subsidies could be warranted (1) if the state regards the Third Crossing as critical to economic development, as in continued development of the ports, and/or 2) if the state regards the Third Crossing as critical for public safety, as in hurricane evacuation. In either case, I would argue, the public subsidy should come from the General Fund, where it would compete with other economic-development and public-safety priorities.
