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Area residents speak out on proposed VDOT cuts Date published: 3/31/2009
By KELLY HANNON If selling coffee, doughnuts and ice cream can keep rest areas open in Virginia, Mary Berry is all for it. "I think it's an excellent idea," Berry said. A former tourism counselor at the Potomac Gateway Welcome Center on U.S. 301 in King George, Berry said visitors constantly approached her to ask where they could buy hot drinks or Virginia souvenirs. Berry doesn't support building gas stations and restaurants at state rest areas, but thinks indoor kiosks would be OK. Besides, the King George center "already has a lovely picnic area," Berry said. Unfortunately, the King George center closed last year, due to cuts in the state tourism budget. Quite a few Fredericksburg area residents are worried the same fate could befall 25 of Virginia's 41 rest areas operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation. Last night, nearly 75 people filed into an auditorium in Caroline County's community services center to comment on VDOT's plans to scale back as it faces a $600 million budget cut from 2009 to 2014. VDOT services and facilities were repeatedly praised as indispensable by residents and elected officials, whether it was clearing ice and snow, mowing tall grass or reviewing site permits. But keeping the rest areas open seemed to be the most common plea. David Ogle, retired VDOT Fredericksburg District Administrator, even came out to speak. Ogle said closing rest areas will eliminate parking spaces for tired truck drivers. "We're going to have more and more trucks parked on the shoulders and the ramps. That presents a hazard, from my perspective," said Ogle, who retired last fall after 40 years at VDOT. Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania, first laid blame for VDOT's funding shortfall with the Virginia General Assembly, pointing out the gasoline tax in the state has not been altered since 1986. Houck told the crowd that the state--and the public--gets what it pays for regarding road services. "There's no magic to it. It doesn't fall out of the sky. It comes out of each and every one of our pockets," Houck said. But the senator said he would not want anyone, including his wife or grandchildren, turning off an unfamiliar secondary road at night to find a restroom.
primarily subdivisions paid for by real estate taxes in other
states.
VDOT wants localities to take over their local roads so it
will free up money for roads like Route 1 but that cost will
then accrue to you and I if that comes to be.
An interesting insight into how expensive subdivision roads
can cost is Hunter's Lodge - 78 home owners just agreed to
pay their share of getting their roads up to standards and
paved ...at 10K each.
When you figure that each person pays about $200 a year
in gas taxes ....
In the other 46 States, local roads are maintained by the
locality through local taxes and not infrequently local
Road Commissions decide the priorities.
Route 1 is a State Road, a VDOT responsibility. There are
several reasons why VDOT is essentially broke.
For one, as Sen. Houck said - the gas tax has not been
increased in over 20 years. Imagine how much the costs of
other things you buy has gone up in that period.
Also..400 miles a year are added to the road system and
virtually all is more CONT
This state used to have great roads, money for state parks, and a surplus budget every year until the baby boomers (Gilmore/Warner/Kaine) came to power. It's way past time for a Gen. X'er to have a turn.
won't result in more money for roads unless Spotsylvania at
the local level reduces money for schools and re-directs it
to roads.
I think if that were proposed...you'd be hard-pressed to get
more than A single vote on the BOS and that's close to
snowball in hell territory. The closest thing to a political
third-rail in Spotsy is to cut schools except during the most
extreme economic downturns like we are now seeing... and
none of the cuts will go for roads.
As bad as Rt 1 is..there are others as bad BTW.
If you want more money for roads - you have to INCREASE
the taxes in these 3 categories OR you have to dedicate
ADDITIONAL money from the existing budget either by
cutting something else or raising the income tax or general
sales tax.
And think about this. When taxes are raised at the "State
Level", they ARE, in fact, raising taxes on you and the
sending Spotsylvania their share according to what
Spotsylvanians paid.
I can't tell what you're advocating for because spending
less money on schools CONT
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