SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2006 SESSION


SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 19
Requesting the Virginia Department of Transportation to address urgently needed improvements to the Interstate Route 81 corridor in Virginia. Report.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, March 7, 2006
 

WHEREAS, there is significant concern in Western Virginia over safety and capacity issues related to Interstate Route 81; and

WHEREAS, there is immediate concern about the negative impact on commerce and tourism because of the unsafe conditions and unpredictable delays; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That the Virginia Department of Transportation be requested to address urgently needed improvements to the Interstate Route 81 corridor in Virginia. In so doing, the Department of Transportation shall expeditiously take the following actions: (i) subject to federal law and regulation, plan for and construct additional capacity as needed to accommodate increasing traffic and address safety concerns; (ii) direct federal highway construction aid that may be available or may become available for Interstate Route 81 in Virginia under the recently passed SAFETEA-LU and other federal legislation to critical safety and capacity improvements, including, where appropriate, additional lanes to assist trucks in climbing steep grades, with priority given to projects that can be accomplished in the existing right-of-way; and (iii) plan and develop, with the cooperation of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and private rail companies, an east-west rail project and a north-south rail project that will have the effect of reducing the number of trucks traveling the Interstate Route 81 corridor. The Department of Transportation shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary and report of its progress in meeting the requests of this resolution no later than the first day of the 2007 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary and report shall be submitted for publication as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the Secretary of Transportation, the Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner, and the Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation in order that they may be apprised of the sense of the Senate of Virginia in this matter.