Part 3
The General Assembly will soon consider proposals to merge the CBBT with
the other Hampton Roads bridges and tunnels, which would deprive the
CBBT of will have little or no effect on the ability to fund needed
improvements to other bridges and tunnels. It will, however, deprive
the CBBT of any reasonable opportunity to complete the improvements its
Commission has determined to be necessary to avoid future congestion and
to provide an alternative for traffic flow in case of a mechanical
breakdown, vehicular accident, or major maintenance detail in the
existing tunnels. By depriving the CBBT Commission of the ability to
plan independently, and to use its own internally generated revenues to
implement those plans, the proposed legislation will condemn the CBBT to
the same type of congestion that currently plagues other Hampton Roads
facilities.
The consolidation of the bridges and tunnels in Hampton Roads under a
single authority can be accomplished
<mailto:district17@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>without
<mailto:district17@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> including the CBBT, and without
compromising either the ability of the new authority to plan and
prioritize needed improvements at other bridges and tunnels, or its
ability to impose tolls at levels sufficient to fund those improvements.
<mailto:district17@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>EDITORIAL
<mailto:district17@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> The purpose of this editorial is
to provide an overview of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District
and its legislatively enabled purpose to complete its parallel crossing
with construction of parallel tunnels.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) is the largest bridge and
tunnel complex in the world. The CBBT spans more than 17 miles of open
water at the intersection of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
The construction of the CBBT was financed solely through the sale of
revenue bonds, without any federal, state, or local tax dollars. The
complex is owned and operated by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel
District, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It
is governed by an eleven-member Commission appointed by the Governor. As
required by law, two members are from Northampton County, two from
Accomack County, one from the Commonwealth Transportation Board, and six
other members who represent each of the principal Hampton Roads cities.
Commission members, many of whom must travel at least two hours to
attend Commission meetings, are paid $50 for each meeting they attend.
The District has the sole responsibility for operating and
maintaining the CBBT complex which, because of its unique exposure to
wind, waves, and currents, must be carefully inspected and maintained
both above and below the surface of the water. The District’s finances
and infrastructure are independently audited on an annual basis, and the
District submits an annual report to the Governor.
As early as the 1980’s, it was recognized that the Commission
needed to proactively address the need to expand from a two-lane to a
four-lane facility. In 1989, a joint study by the CBBT District and
VDOT concluded that a parallel crossing was needed to address the future
traffic growth, safety concerns during maintenance of the existing
facility, and lack of an alternative route other than a lengthy detour
across Maryland’s Bay Bridge. In 1990, legislation was unanimously
passed by the Virginia General Assembly authorizing the expansion from a
two-lane to a four-lane facility. Because the cost of constructing the
entire expansion exceeded the District’s financial capacity in the
1990’s, it was decided to construct the parallel crossing in phases.
The first phase involved only trestles, roadways, and bridges and was
opened to traffic in 1999. The second phase will complete the parallel
crossing project with the addition of parallel tunnels.
A 2002 study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission
(JLARC) concluded that increased traffic congestion in the two-lane
tunnels is likely to become a significant problem by 2020 unless
parallel tunnels are constructed prior to that date. The JLARC
projections were confirmed by an independent traffic study performed by
Wilbur Smith Associates. Additional studies also concluded that the
Thimble Shoal Channel Tunnel should be designed to accommodate future
shipping requirements into the Hampton Roads ports. In May 2004,
following an internal analysis of its ability to fund the $890 million
cost of constructing parallel tunnels, the Commission approved a new
toll rate schedule that will generate the necessary capacity to install
new tunnels by 2020 without the use of federal, state, or local tax
dollars. It is true that current toll rates are among the highest in
the country; however, there is no self-funded facility in the U.S. that
is remotely similar in terms of length, ocean environment, or
construction and maintenance challenges. The ten-mile-long Oresund
Bridge, which connects Skane, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark, receives
substantial public funding, carries only slightly more traffic than the
CBBT, and charges a one-way automobile toll averaging $27; whereas, the
average automobile toll on the CBBT is less than $11. Significantly,
recent traffic surveys indicate that more than fifty percent of the
total CBBT toll revenue is being paid by non-residents of the
Commonwealth of Virginia.
Commission members take seriously the responsibilities with which
they have been charged by the Virginia General Assembly and are
determined to act prudently to proactively address future transportation
needs with infrastructure improvements in a fiscally responsible
manner. The Commission has shown that it is possible to build and
successfully operate a major transportation facility without relying on
the Commonwealth for public funding. The current and previous
Commissions deserve to be commended for their success, their foresight,
and their commitment to the traveling public.
Jeffrey B. Holland, Executive Director (757) 331-2960
Lucius J. Kellam III, Commission Chairman (757) 442-5811
Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District
Cape Charles, Virginia <mailto:district17@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
--
Susan A. Heath
George Mason University
Environmental Science Department
Fairfax, VA
Secretary, Virginia Avian Records Committee
Keeper, Virginia Comp List at www.virginiabirding.org
