VDOT Reporting Language (language only)

Item 444 #2c

Language
Page 379, after line 17, insert:
“4. The Department shall develop an asset management methodology for the review by the General Assembly in the 2007 Session. As part of the methodology, the Department shall develop and include performance targets to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of maintenance activities. The methodology shall, in accordance with generally accepted engineering principles and business practices, identify and prioritize statewide and district maintenance and operations needs. These needs include, but are not limited to, pavement, structures and bridges, pipes and drainage, roadside operations and statewide programs such as snow removal and equipment replacement. The Commonwealth Transportation Board shall review the proposed methodology before submission to the General Assembly. The Department shall report to the General Assembly by December 31, 2006, on progress made and future plans to incorporate principles of asset management into its maintenance and operations practices.  
5. Prior to adoption, the Department shall develop and submit to the General Assembly a six-year maintenance and operations program no later than July 1, 2007, to provide greater transparency, predictability and equity of funding, and stability of investment over time. This program shall equitably distribute maintenance funds to districts based on objectively identified needs, define the base needs for each district and include future adjustments based on additional funding in district budgets to address differences in need across them. The Commonwealth Transportation Board shall review and approve the six-year maintenance and operations program and the annual updates."
Page 379, strike line 18 through line 26, and insert:
"B. By November 30 of each year, the Department shall submit to the Governor, General Assembly, and the Commonwealth Transportation Board a report on the condition of existing transportation infrastructure and proposed measures to improve the operations of the transportation system and the service areas listed in paragraph A.  Such report shall include:
1) An assessment of the department's efforts to develop systematic mechanisms to evaluate its efforts as outlined in paragraph A.4. of this Item;
2) A report on all actions, accomplishments, achievements, and initiatives of the Virginia Department of Transportation, in the preceding fiscal year that involved outsourcing, privatization, and downsizing, as required pursuant to Chapter 420, Acts of Assembly of 2006;
3) An enumeration of the status of major bridge maintenance and replacement projects and the availability of federal highway bridge rehabilitation and replacement apportionments; and
4) In conjunction with the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, a report on the number of rail crossings in the metropolitan areas of Hampton Roads, Richmond and Northern Virginia.  The report shall take into consideration the impediments to safety, mobility and economic development caused by the rail crossings as measured by the number of trains and frequency of train traffic; the vehicular traffic volumes at the crossings; and the lack of nearby rail and road alternatives.  The report shall include an estimate of the costs to remove, relocate or remediate those rail crossings that have the greatest impacts on communities, including environmental."

Explanation
(This amendment sets out reporting requirements for the Department of Transportation relating to: maintenance requirements, including for bridges and at-grade rail crossings as well as reporting on the use of private sector services in the maintenance and operating programs as required by Chapter 420, Acts of Assembly of 2006.)