|
|
Fall 2020
|
Director's Message
I hope that you and your families are well and staying safe during this time.
We made significant strides with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and the Transforming Rail in Virginia project since our last report. Governor Northam appointed the 12 member Board, which met for the first time in October. The Board will be meeting frequently over the next year as the Authority continues to mobilize. DRPT and the D.C. Department of Transportation also announced completion of the Record of Decision for the Long Bridge Project. The second Long Bridge is the largest component of our Transforming Rail Project and will allow for an increase in passenger and commuter service.
The last few months were also an exciting time for transit. Hampton Roads Transit and DASH held events to showcase their new electric buses. Also, in Northern Virginia, a new connected autonomous vehicle started service between the Dunn Loring Metro Station and the Mosaic District. Lastly, DRPT and the City of Petersburg broke ground on a new park and ride garage next to the Petersburg Transit Station.
Despite these difficult times, we continue to push forward with our initiatives that will have a positive impact on all Virginians. Thank you for reading this quarter's update. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Jennifer Mitchell
|
|
|
|
DRPT was recognized with the "Commonwealth Connectors Award" by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association for its extensive planning efforts to launch the Virginia Breeze intercity bus program.
RideFinders, Richmond’s ridesharing resource, was recently honored by the Association for Commuter Transportation with the "2020 Commuting Options –Vanpooling" award for its “Fall in Love with Vanpooling” campaign.
DRPT's Director of Policy, Communications, and Legislative Affairs, Chris Smith, has accepted a position with the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association. We wish him well in his future endeavors.
Has your organization been recognized recently? Let DRPT know so we can mention it in the next newsletter!
|
|
|
The Commonwealth Transportation Board has released the draft FY21 DRPT Six Year Improvement Program. It was delayed due to COVID-19.
|
Virginia Passenger Rail Authority
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority held its first meeting on October 26, 2020. At its inaugural meeting, held virtually, the Board adopted bylaws, interim HR policies, authorization to begin the Executive Director search, and a memorandum of understanding between DRPT and the Authority.
In September, Governor Northam appointed a 15 member board of individuals with a wide variety of backgrounds and experience from communities throughout the Commonwealth. These individuals are:
- The Honorable Sharon Bulova of Fairfax County, Former Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors;
- Deborah H. Butler of Norfolk, Retired Executive, Norfolk Southern Corporation;
- Victor O. Cardwell of Salem, Principal, Woods Rogers PLC;
- Patricia Doersch of Falls Church, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
- The Honorable Jay Fisette of Arlington, Managing Principal, DMV Strategic Advisors, LLC
- Roderick "Rod" D. Hall of Woodbridge, Government Affairs Advisor, K&L Gates LLP
- Charles Moorman of Charlottesville, Retired Chairman and CEO, Norfolk Southern Corporation
- Cynthia Moses-Nedd of Prince William County, Chief of Staff, Office of Wildland Fire, United States Department of Interior
- The Honorable Paul F. Nichols of Woodbridge, Principal, Nichols Zauzig
- Hossein Sadid of Richmond, CFO, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
- Jim Spore of Virginia Beach, President and CEO, Reinvent Hampton Roads
- Mariia Zimmerman of Richmond, Principal, MZ Strategies, LLC
DRPT Director, Jennifer Mitchell will serve as the Board Chairperson; and Virginia Railway Express CEO, Rich Dalton, and Bruno Maestri, Amtrak Vice President of Government Relations, will serve as ex-officio, non-voting members.
|
To highlight the important service transit agencies across the Commonwealth continue to provide throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, DRPT celebrated Transit Appreciation Month in October. Transit Appreciation Activities were:
-
October 5-9: Meet Your Transit Team showcased the real faces behind the many dedicated transit agencies that provide daily transportation service to their community.
-
October 12-16: Keeping Transit Safe shed light on transit’s extensive health and safety measures that protect riders and employees during COVID-19.
-
October 19-23: Your Transit Agency featured different transit agencies and the services they provide.
-
October 26-30: Transporting Our Essential Workers highlighted public transit’s essential role in the community and how transit keeps the Commonwealth moving.
Transit Appreciation Month promoted Virginia’s public transit agencies and showcased transit as a safe transportation option for essential travel. 30 local public transit agencies across Virginia participated in this initiative.
|
In 2019, Governor Northam announced that the Commonwealth of Virginia would invest a portion of the $93.6 million in Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust funding to replace older diesel transit buses with battery-powered electric transit buses through a new Clean Transportation Voucher Program.
This program was implemented as part of MERIT, which prioritizes transit projects based on an objective scoring rubric. Following a comprehensive review and analysis of funding requests, DRPT announced more than $12 million in VW Trust and state transit capital funds to three agencies – Hampton Roads Transit, Alexandria (DASH), and Blacksburg Transit.
Hampton Roads Transit unveiled its new six electric buses on September 18, and DASH unveiled their buses on October 19. Pictured are DRPT employees, Haley Glynn, Jen DeBruhl, Todd Horsley, and Clinton Edwards, at the DASH unveiling.
|
|
Connected Autonomous Vehicle
DRPT awarded Fairfax County a grant for testing driverless technology. Relay, the all-electric, self-driving autonomous shared-ride shuttle, will provide service between the Dunn Loring Metro station and the Mosaic District. It launched service on October 21. DRPT employees, Tiffany Dubinsky, Clinton Edwards, and Xavier Harmony attended the grand opening.
This project will develop proof of concept for a first/last mile connection from a WMATA metro station to a mixed-use development with potential to expand service into a medical campus in later phases. This project is an example of public-private partnership with Fairfax County, Dominion Energy, and the Commonwealth, which is unique for us as an agency. DRPT will evaluate the performance of this pilot to best identify resources and service models for potential implementation.
|
|
Petersburg Park and Ride
On September 9, the City of Petersburg hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new park and ride facility. DRPT Director Jennifer Mitchell represented the agency at the ceremony.
The new facility will have over 200 parking spaces and is located next to the Petersburg Area Transit Station. Construction is slated to begin later this year and is estimated to be completed in 2023.
This project is funded entirely through the Commonwealth's SMART SCALE which is a prioritization process focused on investing our limited tax dollars into the best projects that meet the most critical transportation needs for Virginians.
|
|
|
Long Bridge Record of Decision
In September, DRPT and the District of Columbia Department of Transportation announced the completion of the combined Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision for the new rail bridge and independent pedestrian/bicycle bridge that will span the Potomac River. This major milestone makes the project eligible for federal financing opportunities.
Owned and operated by CSX, the existing Long Bridge is the only railroad bridge connecting Virginia to the District of Columbia and is one of the most significant passenger and freight rail choke points along the entire east coast. Under normal circumstances, the bridge functions at 98% capacity during peak periods, preventing the District, Virginia, and Maryland from increasing passenger and commuter rail service for their communities.
The new, Virginia-owned, two-track Long Bridge will be dedicated exclusively to passenger and commuter rail; and it will enable Virginia to double its state-supported Amtrak passenger rail service, significantly increase Virginia Railway Express commuter rail service by 2030, and make way for potential future run-through commuter rail service connecting Virginia and Maryland.
|
2020 Special Session of General Assembly
Since August 18, the Virginia General Assembly has been in special session to review criminal justice and police reforms, as well as amend the Commonwealth's biennial budget in light of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of this effort, Governor Northam proposed amendments to the biennial budget, including several that impact transportation initiatives and DRPT. The General Assembly included these transportation amendments in its final budget conference report.
The Governor's initiatives provide flexibility to the Commonwealth Transportation Board for the reallocation of resources within the Commonwealth Transportation Fund and the Commonwealth Mass Transit Fund. For the latter, DRPT is given the ability to transfer dollars from its statewide capital program, special programs, and the new Transit Ridership Incentive Program to provide additional funding for the statewide operating program and the WMATA-NVTC grant. The General Assembly also added language requiring the Secretary to report to the General Assembly prior to the effectuation of the transfers within the Commonwealth Transportation Fund and the Commonwealth Mass Transit Fund.
Additional initiatives authorize DRPT to serve as the fiscal and business agent for the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority until the Board is convened and an Executive Director has been hired, as well as allowing the Commonwealth Transportation Board to allocate funds as needed to maintain DRPT's budget at FY 2020 levels.
|
|
|
