Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 5, 1992 TAG: 9203050338
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BONNIE V. WINSTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The plan, which relies on a 2-cent increase in the state's gasoline tax to pay the debt, now goes to the House floor, where debate is expected today.
The package was assembled by lawmakers from traffic-clogged Northern Virginia. But it's loaded with projects for every part of the state, a move calculated to win broad support when the bond issue is put to voters in a July referendum.
Senators and members of the House Appropriations Committee earlier put their imprimatur on the package, loading it with up to more than $580 million in projects.
But Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, chairman of the House Finance Committee, successfully proposed shuffling several projects that were to be financed by the bonds into a category that will be paid for directly from the gas tax proceeds.
Officials estimated that the 2-cent gas tax increase, to 19.5 cents per gallon, would generate about $70 million annually. Roughly $45 million of that would be needed annually for debt payments. The remainder - about $25 million annually - would be used to pay for other road projects, including the Roanoke-Blacksburg "smart road" connector.
State Transportation Commissioner Ray Pethel told the committee that many of the projects already are part of his department's six-year road plan. Many of those may be accelerated by the gas tax proceeds.
The committee rejected an attempt by Del. Harry Parrish, R-Manassas, to eliminate the bond issue and simply finance the roads totally from a gas tax increase.
\ WESTERN VIRGINIA ROAD PROJECTS\ TO BE FINANCED ENTIRELY OR PARTIALLY BY BONDS
U.S. 460 bypass, Christiansburg $25 million
U.S. 58 improvements west of the U.S. 220 bypass in Henry County $7.2 million
North Trail Drive interchange on U.S. 220 in Rocky Mount $2.6 million
Improvements to intersection of U.S. 220 and Virginia 40 and 122 in Franklin County $3 million
North-South connector for Virginia 122, Main Street to Orange Street and Dawn Drive to Longwood Avenue in Bedford $2 million
U.S. 60 improvements in Clifton Forge $5.2 million
Virginia 100 improvements in Giles and Pulaski counties $3 million
U.S. 58 improvements from Patrick County to Washington County $15 million
Bluefield bypass $5 million
U.S. 58, west of Virginia 94 in Grayson County, construct parallel lane $5 million
U.S. 19, Tazewell County, parallel lane to close gap on U.S. 19 corridor $10 million
U.S. 58, Lee County, parallel lane east of Cumberland Gap to Gibson Station $6 million
\ WESTERN VIRGINIA ROAD PROJECTS TO BE FUNDED FROM THE GAS TAX INCREASE
Roanoke-Blacksburg connector
U.S. 19 in Russell County, right of way acquisition
I-64 and U.S. 220 interchange, Alleghany County
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
by CNB