RICHMOND — The Route 460 Independent Review Panel has recommended to advance three private-sector proposals to improve Route 460 between Suffolk and Petersburg for review by the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) during the June 20 CTB meeting.

At its fourth and final meeting on May 23, the panel considered comments gathered during public meetings held this spring and decided all three proposals offer valid alternatives for further consideration. The panel also issued a series of secondary recommendations to guide the next steps in this review process.

The CTB was provided a briefing on the actions of the independent review panel at its monthly meeting in Richmond this week. The CTB will take action during its July 19 meeting in Fredericksburg on the independent review panel’s recommendations.

They will likely request that each competing firm submit more detailed proposals in early 2008. All three detailed proposals will be evaluated according to criteria established in the Code of Virginia and guidelines approved by the CTB.

Through Virginia’s Public-Private Transportation Act’s procurement process, Cintra USA, Itinere and Virginia Corridor Partners submitted proposals last September to build a new Route 460. Their proposals rely on private investment, user fees, tolls and other innovative financing methods.

The 14-member independent review panel was appointed in February by Secretary of Transportation Pierce R. Homer, and it is chaired by CTB member Alan S. Witt. The panel is made up of citizens, CTB members, state government officials and representatives from planning organizations along the Route 460 corridor.

“It appears that all three of these private-sector partners have presented viable means to complete the much-needed improvements of this vital shipping, commuting and emergency-response route,” Witt said. “After hearing all of the comments from citizens, localities and the firms themselves, we have developed some additional recommendations to guide the next steps in this process. We will pass these along to the CTB as they consider which of these proposals will be the best fit to address the commonwealth’s needs.”

The panel’s secondary recommendations provide suggested elements for inclusion in detailed proposals solicited by the CTB. They include:

• Study the innovative options for improvements to the I-64 corridor from Richmond to Hampton Roads independently from the Route 460 project
  
  
• Identify innovative or acceptable scope changes related to the design, construction, operations and maintenance of the project that could result in a better project or reduced costs
  
  
• Conduct a thorough analysis of the operational efficiency, number, and location of interchanges along the Route 460 corridor and outline a plan for the phased construction of any additional interchanges that are indicated
  
  
• Fully detail any proposed improvements to the existing Route 460 in each proposal, especially those targeted to enhance safety
  
  
• Consider the impacts of the proposed projects on surrounding properties, secondary roads, wetlands, historical properties and other elements of the corridor
  
  
• Develop a financial solution that details tolling rates and a timetable for future toll rate changes

For more information on the PPTA process and guidelines and to read the three private-sector proposals to build a new Route 460, visit www.VirginiaDOT.org/projects/ppta-US-Route460.asp.

To review the recommendations or the cover letter from review panel chair Alan Witt, visit http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/new460_main.asp

Page last modified: June 21, 2007