Public comments at transportation meeting

Secretary of Transportation, Sean Connaughton and local members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board hosted a meeting Thursday night seeking public input on the development of the Six-Year Improvement Program for fiscal years 2013 to 2018.

Audience members voiced their concerns at Germanna Community College’s Daniel Technology Center to Culpeper district CTB members James Utterbuck and James Rich, Virginia Department of Transportation chief deputy commissioner, Charlie Kilpatrick and chief financial officer for the Virginia Department of Rail and Transportation, William Pittard.

“It’s an information gathering process because we don’t know all the different perspectives sometimes,” said Kilpatrick. “The transportation system belongs to all of us.” He said that the SYIP is “the document we use to program federal and state transportation dollars for rail, transit and roadway”

The Culpeper district of VDOT encompasses nine counties. District 30 Delegate, Ed Scott, kicked off the comments by voicing his support for the proposed interchange at U.S. 29 and Route 666 and completing the widening of Route 3 through Stevensburg.

Culpeper district representative, James Rich, commended Culpeper Board of Supervisors chairman, Bill Chase, for his work in pushing the Route 3 widening.

“We really need to hear from people…if we’re going to make enlightened decisions,” said Rich. “I really mean it when I say the taxpayers own the roads.

Culpeper County Planning Director, John Egertson, also spoke in support of the projects.

“We do want to emphasize that the funding for construction is not currently in the six-year plan,” he said of the interchange project.

He said the county hopes that the transportation board “will see fit to fund that project and get that interchange built for the safety of our students at Eastern View high School.” He also said the county wants to ensure that the Route 3 widening remains funded.

Culpeper Chamber of Commerce President, Jim Charapich, also urged the board to complete the projects as soon as possible.

“Students, soccer moms and teachers are vulnerable each time they cross Route 29 to oncoming tractor trailers and commercial traffic,” said Charapich of the current intersection.

Of the dozen people who commented, five of them were against construction of the Charlottesville Western Bypass that would connect U.S. 29 and the Route 29/250 bypass.

“It just disrupts our community…it really destroys our culture in the northern part of the city,” said Kirk Bowers, a representative for the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club.

In closing remarks, Kilpatrick said, “As we travel home, as we sleep, VDOT operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and tonight while we sleep, VDOT crews will be out maintaining the roadway, will be out maintaining our tunnels, will be out repaving roadways so that tomorrow when we get up we’ll make it safely to work or school”