Public-Private Partnership Plan To Add Virginia Highway Lanes Moves Forward; Work Could Begin Next Year
Virginia Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Philip Shucet announced the signing of a comprehensive agreement with Fluor Enterprises, Inc. and Transurban (USA) Inc. to improve Interstate 495 in Northern Virginia on April 29. Fluor originally submitted an unsolicited proposal in 2002, followed by a more comprehensive plan in 2003 (ENR 12/04/p.24). The comprehensive agreement, signed under the Public-Private Transportation Act (PPTA), would also incorporate the $85-million Phase 8 of the $650-million Springfield Interchange project by adding a carpool connection to the beltway from I-95/I-395. HOT lanes would be free to carpoolers, buses and emergency vehicles. All others would pay a variable-priced toll to use the lanes. Large trucks would not be allowed to use HOT lanes.
When the initial proposal came in, " the commissioner met with the private sector partners and asked that they find out if they could fund the project with no public contributions," says Malcolm Kerley, VDOT chief engineer. "In October, they wrote me and acknowledged that Transurban came in to work with them. They are committed by the agreement to invest at least 15 percent of the total project cost." Herb Morgan, vice president of operations for Fluor, says the Transurban agreed to shoulder the shortfall, estimated at anywhere from $90 million to $230 million depending on the final contract structure.