THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 18, 1994 TAG: 9411170202
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
Are we going to get as much from the state for Route 44 as we get from tolls now? Councilman John Baum asked the man from the Virginia Department of Transportation at Tuesday's City Council briefing on roads.
The answer was a hedge: Yes, the Beach will have access to the same highway pot as every other city in South Hampton Roads.
I don't think, said Mr. Baum, we're going to get as much.
That got a laugh from all assembled - but a rueful laugh: Whatever nuisance tolls have been, whatever dubious programs they've financed, they assured the expressway adequate funding for maintenance and improvements. That assured source ends in less than a year, and the search has already begun for a source that will be more reliable than a VDOT kitty divvied partly by political pull.
One possibility: Congress' approval of a permanent National Highway System that includes Route 44, with Department of Defense support, as a connector between major military installations. A bill to start that process failed this year, but local congressman Owen Pickett expects passage by the congressional deadline, September 1995. Nice timing, since Governor Allen wants the tolls off Oct. 1. But what would happen to 44 funding if the Base Realignment and Closure Commission axes NAS Oceana?
It's an ill wind that blows no good: The consternation over Route 44 helped turn Council's attention Tuesday on the Beach's road needs generally. Councilman Branch questioned the relevance of the current Master Street and Highway Plan, given the need to control development even after the Gaston tap turns on and the renewed doubt about the Southeastern Expressway. Councilwoman Henley emphasized the interrelationship of wise land use and wise road building. Councilwoman Strayhorn seconded coordinating the two.
Hanging over all is federal regulation intended to minimize political influence and optimize existing road systems, air quality and regional cooperation. It's a tangle of bureaucracy and opportunity that City Council and staff must unravel. Tuesday was a start. by CNB