RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Donna Purcell Mayes (804) 786-2717 Donna.Mayes@VDOT.Virginia.gov Cell (804) 317-7113

CO-0712 April 19, 2007

CITIZENS TO COMMENT ON NEW ROUTE 460 CORRIDOR PROJECT PROPOSALS

RICHMOND – At the third of four public meetings of the Route 460 Corridor Improvement Project's Independent Review Panel (IRP), citizens will present comments on three conceptual proposals to build a new Route 460 between Petersburg and Suffolk.

The meeting will start at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 30, 2007, in the auditorium of Windsor High School at 24 Church Street in Windsor. Citizens who wish to speak before the panel are asked to indicate so when they sign in with Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) staff upon arrival.

Comments may also be given to a court reporter at the meeting, submitted through this link, or USRoute460@aol.com, or to VDOT’s Innovative Project Delivery Division at 1401 E. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219.

Public comments for the panel’s consideration will be accepted through Friday, May 4. Officials of affected localities along the corridor provided comments in late 2006.

The proposals were submitted by three private-sector teams – Cintra USA, Itinere and Virginia Corridor Partners (VCP) – that made their presentations at the first IRP meeting March 21. The presentations are available on VDOT’s Web site here.

The panel will begin developing its recommendations for VDOT and the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) at the panel’s final meeting. That meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 23, starting at 5 p.m. at JEJ Moore Middle School at 11455 Prince George Drive in Disputanta. It is open to the public.

The Route 460 corridor is a strategic component in Virginia’s long-term freight management, hurricane evacuation, congestion reduction and economic development programs.

Through Virginia’s Public-Private Transportation Act’s procurement process, the private-sector teams 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 three proposals will be evaluated according to criteria established in the Code of Virginia and outlined in VDOT’s solicitation for proposals. The 14-member IRP is expected to make recommendations to VDOT’s commissioner and the CTB on the feasibility of the three proposals in June 2007.

The 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.

For more information about the Route 460 Corridor Improvement Project, including the solicitation, conceptual proposals, timeline and panel members, go to this page on the VDOT Web site.

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