Gov. Bob McDonnell announced that the Commonwealth of Virginia has received an unsolicited proposal pursuant to the Public-Private Transportation Act for the financing, design, and construction of a new interchange along U.S. 460 at Odd Fellows Road in Lynchburg. The proposed project also includes improvements to Odd Fellows Road between the new interchange and the Lynchburg Expressway and improvements to Greenview Drive.
Speaking about the announcement, McDonnell said “Virginia’s ability to partner with the private sector to advance much needed transportation solutions is critical to the long-term success of our transportation program. Receipt of this proposal once again demonstrates Virginia’s position as a leader in the P3 market and how, by partnering with the private sector, we can advance projects in a more timely and efficient manner with limited state investment. Advancing this project will not only address one of Lynchburg top transportation priorities, but it will also ease truck congestion by providing more direct access to the Madison Heights Bypass, improve safety, and help businesses currently located in or considering locating in the Lynchburg area.”
Odd Fellows Road serves industrial traffic as an entrance to the City of Lynchburg’s Industrial Park and other commercial properties in the immediate area. Currently, the road begins at US Route 29 (the Lynchburg Expressway) and dead ends south of Mayflower Drive. Alleviating truck traffic in this area has long been a regional priority. The project was identified as part of the Governor’s 2011 Transportation Plan and added to the 2012-2015 Central Virginia Transportation Improvement Program.
“Much of the recent focus on Virginia’s P3 program has been on large scale, multi-billion dollar projects in Virginia’s most congested areas,” said Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton. “However, the PPTA provides tremendous flexibility to attract private sector resources and innovation so it can serve as a vital tool to accelerate project delivery on smaller projects in all corners of the Commonwealth.”
The Office of Transportation Public Private Partnerships (OTP3), in coordination with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), received the unsolicited proposal from a team comprised of English Construction, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and Raymond James in early July. OTP3 and VDOT have determined that the unsolicited proposal meets the requirements of the PPTA and the PPTA Implementation Guidelines, and the PPTA Steering Committee has advanced the proposal to the detail-level screen stage. Following this stage, during which the affected jurisdictions will have 60 days to provide comments to OTP3, the VDOT Commissioner will determine whether to advance the proposal to the procurement stage. If such a determination is made, there will be a 120-day period to seek competing proposals.
For more information on the proposal, the policy review and the PPTA Steering Committee briefing, please visit www.vappta.org.
Share
Contributors
