VDOT has $5 million to spend on yet another study? If they had spent half as much on roads as on studies, we might have a world class transportation network here in Hampton Roads. As a region, we need to focus on building a well-planned “third crossing.” Expanding the HRBT will absolutely reduce congestion on that route. The Third Crossing, however, will reduce congestion and add options for a variety of routes. It will allow direct highway access for all of the Port of Virginia’s Southside facilities. Why is this important? It is important because truck traffic will not have to use Hampton Blvd, the HRBT, or any other artery in Hampton Roads. These truck bound for the western part of the state and beyond will be able to be on their way without impacting our major roadways. In the current age of tight budgets and no money for expanding highways, we, as a region, need to make our dollars count. The current Third Crossing plan already is fairly well thought out. It includes a link from Norfolk (near NIT) to I664. It includes a parallel crossing next to I664′s MMBT. It also includes a widening of I664 and a connection to the Western freeway. When coupled with the proposed connector for the MLK Freeway in Portsmouth, The Third Crossing would allow Downtown Portsmouth to have a near direct connection to the Peninsula, possibly boosting Portsmouth’s overall economy. The Third Crossing plan also includes a plan to make it multi-modal, meaning that it could accommodate a light rail line to the Peninsula and/or a freight line out to the west. The light rail line could vastly enhance the economic appeal of Downtown Newport News, spurring investment. A freight line would enhance the appeal of all of Hampton Roads’ ports, meaning increased port traffic without increased road traffic.

View

Hampton Roads Third Crossing in a larger map

The biggest question here should not be which road to widen, but how to fund the Third Crossing.  The estimated cost of the Third Crossing is nearly $6 billion (adjusted for inflation since 1997). That is obviously not going to be funded by Hampton Roads alone. $6 billion is approximately the same as the all of the Seven Cities’ budgets combined. This is the part where we need to get creative. The only way to get this built is to explore a combination of funding streams. Here is my plan:

First, we need to identify all stakeholders and get contributions. For example, the military will benefit from a Third Crossing, so they should chip in around half a billion dollars. The ports will benefit enormously, so the VA Port Authority should chip in around a billion dollars. The state should definitely chip in close to a billion dollars. The federal government is going to have to supply most of the money, perhaps 2.5 or three billion. The rest is going to have to be made up for with tolls. Of course, a Public-Private partnership could be reached that would allow the state, federal, and port subsidies to be reduced (but not eliminated). A one- or two-cent region-wide sales tax could also help reduce the subsidy from the state.

I know everyone hates tolls and taxes. I do to. However, nothing is free. Like I said, the cost of this project is the total of the budgets for all of the Seven cities. If we rely solely on the state or federal government, it will never get built. As for the HRBT, why waste $2-3 billion to build something that we may not need if we build the Third Crossing