Efforts to secure up to $800 million in federal highway funds to build a $13 billion toll truckway on I-81 throughout Virginia failed to find support in the final transportation bill adopted Friday by Congress. A consortium of road builders known as STAR Solutions, along with House Transportation Committee Chair Don Young (R-Alaska) and perhaps Virginia Governor Mark Warner were the unlikely allies lobbying Congress this year to earmark the truckway funds. Reports indicated the Governor Warner supported the truck lanes on the Hill but his office did not respond to questions from reporters.

Instead, the final highway bill limited I-81 funding to $141.5 million, with $100 million earmarked for “dedicated truck lanes for additional capacity” and the remainder slated “to manage freight movement and safety improvements to I-81.”

“Common sense prevailed in Congress,” said Laura Olsen, of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, which has worked closely with citizen’s groups in the Shenandoah Valley on the truckway issue. “Congress didn’t hand STAR Solutions a big chunk of Virginia’s money to build a massive toll truckway that a state study said would fail to address safety or congestion issues, cost too much and create too many environmental problems.”

Opposition to the toll truckway was widespread in the Shenandoah Valley and further south along the I-81 corridor. Every Shenandoah Valley state legislator supported a bill in the 2005 General Assembly session ordering VDOT to halt negotiations with STAR. More than 40 local governments passed resolutions against the truckway and encouraging the state to pursue alternatives, including increased rail freight. In June, the Shenandoah Valley Network joined the Virginia Trucking Association and Virginia Manufactuers Association in a letter urging the Congressional conference committee working on a final highway bill not to fund the toll truckway.

New Truck Lane Program Dies in Conference Committee
The STAR truckway in Virginia was to serve as a showcase for Congressman Young’s idea of a national dedicated truck lane program, but the program did not survive in the final highway bill. The highway bill also banned the use of non-compete clauses for toll projects that involve federal funds which STAR needed to justify the project to financial bond agencies. The non-compete clause would have prevented VDOT from making improvements to any transportation facility (road, transit or freight rail) that might draw traffic from I-81.

Limited Earmarks for I-81
Out of $22 billion in specific spending earmarks in the federal bill, just $141.5 million was targeted to Interstate 81. Congressman Young included the $100 million earmark for “construction of dedicated truck lanes for additional capacity on I-81 in VA,” but it lacks the strings that were attached in his original truck lane program. In the final bill, neither tolls nor expensive separated lanes are required. It is possible that targeted improvements such as “dedicated” truck climbing lanes would qualify for the $100 million.

Senator Warner secured $41.5 million to "manage freight movement and safety improvements to I-81." But he made the funding flexible, likely in response to input from Virginia constituents and growing evidence that the STAR Solutions mega project will not survive.

“In providing flexible funding for anything from spot improvements to rail freight, Senator Warner showed his fiscal leadership and concern for opposition in the I-81 corridor,” said Kim Sandum of the Community Alliance for Preservation, a member of the Shenandoah Valley Network.

Federal Agency Unhappy with Truck Lane Proposal
The failure to secure significant federal funding is just the latest blow to the STAR toll truckway project. In March, VDOT’s draft preliminary Environmental Impact Statement was released to federal and state agencies involved or affected by the project. The STAR plan (called “Truck Lanes” in the report) received the worst results – in terms of cost and effectiveness – of all of the options examined for I-81. VDOT is currently adding various new scenarios to the study, which is due out in the fall.

Officials at the Federal Highway Administration have indicated that due to the massive project's failure to adequately address safety and congestion issues, cost and environmental impacts, it is very unlikely that the project could ever receive necessary federal approvals. This assessment is based on the very poor performance of the STAR truckway in VDOT's preliminary draft environmental impact statement.

General Assembly Delegation to Meet
The entire I-81 Virginia legislative caucus will meet in August to formulate a list of criteria and project ideas they want VDOT to incorporate into the ongoing study of how to address truck traffic, safety and community needs in the corridor. It is widely expected that the delegation will endorse a package of options that focus on targeted, realistic, affordable and community-friendly means to improve I-81 for commercial drivers, as well as local residents and tourists.

“The STAR truckway proposal seems nearly dead,” Gallagher said. “We hope VDOT is listening and moves towards a much smaller scale approach to addressing needs in the I-81 corridor. VDOT should study targeted improvements for safety and congestion, expanding enforcement, meaningful transit options such as carpool hotlines, park and ride lots, and targeted bus service, and freight rail improvements to remove trucks from the road.”

More information on other earmarks for the Shenandoah Valley and I-81 corridor.

For more information on the Federal Transportation Bill and VDOT funding earmarked for other projects in Virginia see Coalition for Smarter Growth's site.

The full text of the bill is available at http://www.house.gov/rules/109textTEALU.htm and will soon be posted in the online Congressional Record.
See http://Thomas.loc.gov

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of I-81 truck lanes

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More on the I-81 project
Click Here for PDF version of a fact sheet that you can print
Additional Fact Sheet - VDOT Study Shows Trucks Lanes Most Expensive & Least Effective