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Submitted Public Comments Submitted Public Comments HRTPO Transportation Technical Advisory Committee April 4, 2012 Agenda Item #3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HRTPO Public Comment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Midtown Tunnel/Downtown Tunnel/MLK Extension Project Name: Mr. Christopher Nein Date: March 16, 2012 Subject: NO TOLLS! Public Comment Input (Via E‐Mail) I do not think adding another tube at the midtown wold alleviate traffic since they would still be dumping onto a hugely congested Hampton Blvd or Brambleton Ave. Building this would bring the rating up from "F" to "D" (the rating system skips "E", so it is really only one letter up.) It might be better to build a new crossing further up the river for the Navy Base to primarily use, which would alleviate traffic on Hampton and Brambleton. I am also against starting the tolls this July, when the new tunnel would not be finished until 2015, thus I will only be paying about 1,500 dollars per year for the pleasure of sitting in worse traffic for the next three years while construction occurs. I am against this project being a PPP (Public Private Partnership) [I am not against all PPP's] because there is no alternative to using one of these two routes. The company can raise the cost of the toll about 3.5% every year starting in 4 years until well into the 2060's [not a typo]. It hurts the volunteers and families who have to see their sick children and family members at CHKD and Sentara. It hurts the low wage workers who cannot afford to live in Norfolk, but have to work in their hotels, shops, etc. Personally, it will cost me about 1,500 per year to go to EVMS [Some days I will have to travel to EVMS, then to Portsmouth Naval, then back to EVMS, then back home]. I will not be able to hold a job while in medical school, and this extra tax is not coverable under my financial aid. I literally have no way of paying for this. Overall, I feel the governor did not include this as a tenant of his transportation platform when he was elected. As someone who prides himself on researching a candidate's platform before putting in volunteer hours and voting for someone, it bothers me that I was blindsided and he never mentioned this before it happened. Likewise, I am appalled that front‐and‐center on his website, he boasts about his crowning accomplishment being an infusion of 4 billion+ dollars into transportation infrastructure "without raising taxes." A toll is a tax. That's not my idea or my thinking, that is the definition by the Webster Dictionary. The only difference is that I cannot claim this tax on my federal return to get some credit back. I do think the Governor started strong, but many things recently [his backtrack on pro‐life bills while looking forward to the VP slot just to name one] and this 1 issue paramountly have soured my opinion [and many others who supported him early and put in hours for his campaign]. Combine these issues with a lack of response from him or his staff to countless emails sent [even a blanket response would have been appropriate since so many people are upset] and I am prepared to apologize for proactively trying to get him elected. He no longer is promoting my fiscal or social values, and I can say, in hindsight, I would not have voted or campaigned for him, and I no longer support him receiving the GOP Vice Presidential spot [This is my first backtrack of a candidate I have supported ever, but that is due to the research I do before endorsing someone]. Sorry for the length of this response. I will be using this [or something like it] while speaking at different venues. Yes the traffic is bad, but this is neither the only answer not the best solution to the problem. I have commuted at morning and evening rush hour for the past 4 years. The traffic is actually not that bad [on typical days, it would take me 45 minutes each way, which I accepted and budgeted my time accordingly.], and it will not greatly improve after the project. The benefits do not outweigh the costs. 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HRTPO Public Comment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Midtown Tunnel/Downtown Tunnel/MLK Extension Project Name: Mr. John McGlynn Date: March 16, 2012 Subject: Termination of Convenience Public Comment Input (Via E‐Mail) Myself, and most of the folks I know now, are in disbelief when they look at the plans, costs and funding source for the Midtown Tunnel project. Their general opinion is that there are major problems, not the least of which is an unfair levying of tolls/taxes on some of the regions most disadvantaged communities and Thank you for your efforts to try to look at this objectively and I urge you to do all that you can to support the Termination of Convenience clause in the PPT contract. There is a cost, but its minor compared to what the dollar and social costs will be if the current contract continues. We need to look at this again. 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HRTPO Public Comment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Midtown Tunnel/Downtown Tunnel/MLK Extension Project Name: Ms. Andrea McGlynn Date: March 16, 2012 Subject: Termination of Convenience Public Comment Input (Via E‐Mail) I urge you to support the "Termination for Convenience" of the PPT contract with ERC, that was recently signed by our Governor of Virginia. I totally agree with the editorial by Col. Charles H. Mead (Ret.) in the March 16, Virginian Pilot. This agreement creates "A lopsided tunnel 'partnership'" that would be disastrous for our region and the entire commonwealth. While not good for either Portsmouth or Noroflk, it surely would slowly strangle the city of Portsmouth, an already economically disadvantaged city. Fully half of the land in Portsmouth is owned either by the federal government, or a religious church; most residents work 2‐3 jobs just to get by. These do not provide a strong tax base. Portsmouth does not have the resources to survive this project. There are no other options for the residents of these cities. Again, please understand the devestating economic impact this will have, and terminate this contract. 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HRTPO Public Comment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Midtown Tunnel/Downtown Tunnel/MLK Extension Project Name: Mr. Paul Danaher Date: March 16, 2012 Subject: Termination for Convenience Public Comment Input (Via E‐Mail) I work in international development aid, where there is extensive experience with PPP, and I see none of the benefits and all of the disadvantages of this instrument in the present agreement on the Portsmouth‐Norfolk tunnels and Martin Luther King Highway. The absence of an economic impact study is the first fatal flaw, and the contractual obstacles to light rail in the agreement as it stands is a second fatal flaw. Increasing capacity at just one point in a road system is a proven recipe for disaster. The likely impact on the region has been rightly described as balkanisation. Save us all billions over generations and kill this contract now. 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HRTPO Public Comment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Midtown Tunnel/Downtown Tunnel/MLK Extension Project Name: Ms. Terry Danaher Date: March 16, 2012 Subject: Termination of Convenience Public Comment Input (Via E‐Mail) I would like to express my support for, and urge the HRTPO to also support, the “Termination for Convenience” of the public‐private partnership deal with Elizabeth River Crossings, LLC, recently signed by Governor McDonnell. Both the Virginian Pilot editorial and Charles Mead’s expert opinion piece in today’s paper sum up the situation we are facing, and it is an ugly future we face under this contract. I have three children in their early twenties, all of whom I would encourage to leave the state for a home less hostile to the average citizen as I fear this is just one agreement that will be followed by many more like it across the entire commonwealth. Further, we won’t be a “commonwealth” in the future, because we will be sending our wealth abroad to line the pockets of foreign investors, a bad move in any economic time let alone during a recession. I hope the HRTPO will help the citizens of this state by seeking an end to this disastrous contract. 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HRTPO Public Comment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Draft FY 2013 Unified Planning Work Program Name: Mr. Ray Taylor Date: March 16, 2012 Subject: Draft FY 2013 UPWP Public Comment Input (Via E‐Mail) It gets better every time. Congratulations for that. Attached are my public comment inputs for the draft FY‐2013 HRTPO UPWP document. Attached Comments: Public Comment Input March 16, 2012 Draft FY‐2013 UPWP for Hampton Roads TPO Each year, for the past several years, the HRTPO staff has steadily improved the quality and value of the regional TPO’s UPWP document in impressive ways. Increasingly, the document includes guidance and direction to the staff that strengthens the region’s ability to be more successfully competitive in the search for fair‐share federal and state funding support for the highways, bridges, passenger rail and public transportation systems that make up the multimodal regional transportation system throughout the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Recommendations for the current draft FY‐2013 Unified Planning Work program (UPWP) document follow: 1. Page 1: The bulleted entries under the second paragraph list three federal funding sources (PL, 5303 and 5307). The text on page 8 lists six federal funding sources (PL, SPR, 5303, 5307, 5316, and 5317). On first blush, this seems to be OK, but from discussion with board and TPO committee members (not to mention the public), there is general confusion about the federal funding sources.
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