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Absolutely. According to a September 2006 report by , Virginia's congested and deteriorating transportation system costs Virginians more than $4 billion every year due to increased fuel costs, lost time, greater incidence of accidents and more frequent repair bills.
- According to the TRIP report, Virginia's vehicle traffic has increased by 29 percent since 1990 and it is projected to increase by another 40 percent in 15 years. This translates to 108 billion vehicle miles of travel per year in Virginia by 2020.
- According to the Virginia Transit Association, from 1995 to 2000, public transportation passengers have increased by 24 percent and transit usage continues to increase faster than automobile usage.
- A report generated for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation indicates that Virginia Railway Express ridership more than doubled from 1997 to 2003.
- The VTRANS 2025 draft reports the Port of Virginia will reach full operating capacity by 2010 unless improvements are made. It will require significant modernization and expansion to maintain its place as one of the most successful networks of cargo-handling marine terminals on the eastern seaboard.
- According to the VTRANS 2025 draft, the effects of unprecedented international and domestic growth will require Virginia's commercial service airports to add new runways, expand passenger terminal and parking facilities in addition to addressing growing air cargo industry requirements. The costs of new capital improvements over the next twenty years are in excess of $5.5 billion.
In spite of the staggering numbers above, investment in Virginia's transportation system is in dramatic decline.
The last significant infusion of new transportation funds was enacted January 1, 1987 when the Commonwealth raised the gas tax by 2.5 cents to its current 17.5 cent level, added one-half percent to the state sales tax and increased the motor vehicle sales and use tax by 1 percent.
Funding for Virginia's primary, secondary and urban roads, which carry about 70 percent of traffic, has shrunk by nearly 30 percent since 1996, according to The Road Information Program (TRIP). Meanwhile, during the past five years, highway construction costs have increased by more than 25 percent.
The Virginia Department of Transportation Six-Year Improvement Program (FY 2007-2012) estimates the cost to complete Virginia's primary, secondary and urban road projects is $8.9 billion. The current and projected funding identified for these projects is $4.5 billion over the next six years. An additional $4.4 billion is needed to complete the projects.
Considering inflation since 1987, the motor fuels tax revenue's purchasing power has decreased by more than 40 percent. Also, an additional $408 million for local road funding would be needed today to give Virginia the same purchasing power it had in 1996. This is factoring in inflation, a decrease in state funding and increased fuel, construction and highway construction materials costs.
With Virginia's limited state funding, 70 percent of VDOT's construction programs are paid for with federal dollars; the national average is only 42 percent.
The reduced funding level and lack of other funding sources leave little or no opportunities for new transportation improvements. As a result, funding will be delayed for many needed projects now in the planning stages, preventing them from moving forward to the construction phase.
It is clear - the demands on our transportation systems will continue to grow, but the resources are simply not available to meet those needs.
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