Authority: Title 33.1, Chapter 1 and §§ 58.1-815, 58.1-815.1, and 58.1-816.1, Code of Virginia; Chapters 653 and 676, Acts of Assembly of 1988; Chapters 8, 9, and 12, Acts of Assembly of 1989, Special Session II; and Chapter 391, Acts of Assembly of 1993.

A.1. Out of the amounts for Financial Assistance for Roads and other Construction, $7,000,000 the first year and $7,000,000 the second year from the Commonwealth Transportation Fund shall be allocated for purposes set forth in §§ 33.1-221, 33.1-221.1:1, and 33.1-223, Code of Virginia. Of this amount, the allocation for Recreational Access Roads shall be $1,500,000 the first year and $1,500,000 the second year. Any balance in the Industrial, Airport and Rail Access program at the end of each fiscal year that exceeds an amount equal to the annual appropriation shall be available in the next fiscal year for allocation to other transportation programs.

2. Out of the appropriation for Recreational Access Roads, $50,000 shall be provided in the first year to install directional signage for the Heart of Appalachia Bike Route in Southwest Virginia.

B. Out of the amounts for Financial Assistance for Roads and other Construction the following amounts shall be provided for financial assistance to localities and regional agencies for transportation planning: $5,092,500 the first year and $5,650,000 the second year from the Commonwealth Transportation Fund.

C. The amount shown for Transportation Improvement District Debt Service shall be derived from payments made to the Transportation Trust Fund pursuant to the Contract between the State Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District and the Commonwealth Transportation Board dated September 1, 1988. The contract payments may be supplemented from primary funds allocated to the highway construction district in which the project financed is located, or from the secondary system construction allocation to the county or counties in which the project financed is located, and from any other lawfully available revenues of the Transportation Trust Fund, as may be necessary to meet debt service obligations. The payment of debt service shall be for the bonds issued under the "Commonwealth of Virginia Transportation Contract Revenue Bond Act of 1988" (Chapters 653 and 679, Acts of Assembly of 1988). Funds required to pay the total debt service on the bonds shall be made available in the amounts indicated in paragraph G of this Item.

D.1. Out of the amounts for Designated Highway Corridor Development Programs, $42,000,000 the first year and $42,000,000 the second year shall be paid from the general fund to the U.S. Route 58 Corridor Development Fund, hereinafter referred to as the "Fund", established pursuant to § 58.1-815, Code of Virginia. This payment shall be in lieu of the deposit of state recordation taxes to the Fund, as specified in the cited Code section and shall be made on July 1 of each year. Said recordation taxes which would otherwise be deposited to the Fund shall be retained by the general fund. In addition, in the second year, $3,500,000 from the Highway Maintenance and Operating Fund shall be provided to the Route 58 Corridor Development Fund. This allocation shall be in addition to any funds currently provided to the Route 58 Corridor Development Fund.

2. Pursuant to the "U.S. Route 58 Commonwealth of Virginia Transportation Revenue Bond Act of 1989" (Chapters 8, 9 and 12, Acts of Assembly of 1989, Special Session II), the amounts shown in paragraph G of this Item shall be available from the Fund for debt service for the bonds previously issued and additional bonds issued pursuant to said act.

3. It is the intent of the General Assembly that during the 1998-2000 biennium, the Route 58 Corridor Development Program shall be funded such that the Program is able to support its full amount of authorized debt.

E.1. The Commonwealth Transportation Board shall maintain the Northern Virginia Transportation District Fund, hereinafter referred to as the "Fund." The Fund shall include at least the following elements:

a) Amounts transferred from Item 282 of this act to this item;

b) Up to $3,000,000 $2,100,000 the first year and up to $3,000,000 $2,100,000 the second year from the general fund;

c) Any public right-of-way use fees allocated by the Department of Transportation pursuant to § 56-468.1 of the Code of Virginia and attributable to the counties of Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William, the amounts estimated at $2,800,000 $3,165,000 the first year and $3,400,000 $3,798,000 the second year;

d) Any amounts which may be deposited into the Fund pursuant to a contract between the Commonwealth Transportation Board and a jurisdiction or jurisdictions participating in the Northern Virginia Transportation District Program, the amounts estimated to be $1,000,000 the first year and $1,000,000 the second year; and

e) $3,500,000 the second year from Commonwealth Transportation Funds.

2. The Fund shall support the issuance of bonds at a total authorized level of $366,900,000 for the purposes provided in the Northern Virginia Transportation District, Commonwealth of Virginia Revenue Bond Act of 1993 (Chapter 391, Acts of Assembly of 1993), for the purposes provided in Chapters 470 and 597, Acts of Assembly of 1994 (1994 Amendments to the Northern Virginia Transportation District, Commonwealth of Virginia Revenue Bond Act of 1993), and for the purposes provided by the in Chapters 740 and 761, Acts of Assembly of 1998 (1998 Amendments to the Northern Virginia Transportation District, Commonwealth of Virginia Revenue Bond Act of 1993) (1998 House Bill 1117/Senate Bill 566).

3. Pursuant to the Northern Virginia Transportation District, Commonwealth of Virginia Revenue Bond Act of 1993, Chapter 391, Acts of Assembly of 1993 as amended by Chapters 470 and 597 of the Acts of Assembly of 1994, and Chapters 740 and 761 of the Acts of Assmbly of 1998, amounts shown in paragraph G of this Item shall be available from the Fund for debt service for the bonds previously issued and additional bonds issued pursuant to said Act.

4. Should the actual distribution of recordation taxes to the localities set forth in § 58.1-815.1, Code of Virginia, exceed the amount required for debt service on the bonds issued pursuant to the above act, such excess amount shall be transferred to the Northern Virginia Transportation District Fund in furtherance of the program described in § 33.1-221.1:3, Code of Virginia.

5. Should the actual distribution of recordation taxes to said localities be less than the amount required to pay debt service on the bonds, the Commonwealth Transportation Board is authorized to meet such deficiency, to the extent required, from funds identified in Enactment No. 1, Section 11, of Chapter 391, Acts of Assembly of 1993.

F.1. The Commonwealth Transportation Board shall maintain the City of Chesapeake account of the Set-aside Fund, pursuant to § 58.1-816.1 which shall include funds transferred from Item 282 of this act to this item, including such local revenues from the City of Chesapeake as may be received pursuant to a contract or other alternative mechanism for the purpose provided in the Oak Grove Connector, City of Chesapeake Commonwealth of Virginia Transportation Program Revenue Bond Act of 1994.

2. Pursuant to the Oak Grove Connector, Commonwealth of Virginia Transportation Program Revenue Bond Act of 1994 (Chapters 233 and 662, Acts of Assembly of 1994), the amounts shown in paragraph G of this Item shall be available from the City of Chesapeake account of the Set-aside Fund for debt service for the bonds issued pursuant to said Act.

3. Should the actual distribution of recordation taxes and such local revenues from the City of Chesapeake as may be received pursuant to a contract or other alternative mechanism to the City of Chesapeake account of the Set-aside Fund be less than the amount required to pay debt service on the bonds, the Commonwealth Transportation Board is authorized to meet such deficiency, pursuant to Enactment No. 1, Section 11 of the Oak Grove Connector, City of Chesapeake Commonwealth of Virginia Transportation Program Revenue Bond Act of 1994 (Chapters 233 and 662, Acts of Assembly of 1994).

4. The amount appropriated for Interstate Construction has been reduced by $392,571 the first year and $589,687 the second year and transferred to the Department of State Police’s Highway Patrol Services. These funds are for eight positions dedicated to the I-95/395/495 interchange improvement project and are part of State Highway Project No. 0095-029-F20 and Federal Project No. NH-95-2 (410).

G. Pursuant to various Payment Agreements between the Treasury Board and the Commonwealth Transportation Board, funds required to pay the debt service due on the following Commonwealth Transportation Board bonds shall be transferred to the Treasury Board pursuant to paragraphs C, D 2, E 2 3, and F 2 of this Item:

H. The Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, shall study whether to broaden the statutory authority of § 33.1-221, Code of Virginia, to include additional "establishments" that could qualify for access road funding. Any recommendations to broaden the definition of qualifying "establishment" shall be mutually agreed upon by both the Department of Transportation and the Partnership. The findings and recommendations of this study shall be reported to the 1999 Session of the General Assembly.

I. Notwithstanding the amounts specified in § 33.1-75.1 C and D of the Code of Virginia, $15,000,000 per year in Commonwealth Transportation Funds shall be allocated to localities for secondary road revenue sharing.

J. The Department of Transportation shall continue, until no later than October 15, 1998, its Major Investment Study (MIS) of the proposed Western Transportation Corridor in cooperation with the National Park Service, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and such other state, federal, and private entities as may be deemed appropriate by the Department, in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations (23 C.F.R. Part 450). No funds appropriated by this act, or otherwise available to the Department of Transportation, shall be expended on environmental studies, preliminary engineering, or any other analyses of the Western Transportation Corridor as part of any process required by the National Environmental Protection Act until the MIS of the Western Corridor is completed in cooperation with the National Park Service, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and such other state, federal, and private entities as were deemed appropriate by the Department. The Department of Transportation shall report the results of the cooperative MIS to the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and Transportation Committees and House Appropriations and Transportation Committees by November 1, 1998.