The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is the agency of the state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. The Virginia Department of Transportation is headquartered at the Virginia Department of Highways Building in Downtown Richmond. VDOT is responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the roads, bridges, and tunnels in the commonwealth. It is overseen by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which has the power to fund airports, seaports, rail, and public transportation.

The Virginia Department of Transportation's revised annual budget for fiscal year 2019 is $5.4 billion.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has a workforce of about 7,500 full-time employees.

Responsibilities

Virginia has the nation's third largest system of state-maintained highways, after North Carolina and Texas. The Virginia highway system totals approximately 58,000 miles of interstate, primary, frontage, and secondary roads. The system includes about 20,000 bridges and structures. In addition, independent cities and towns, as well as the counties of Henrico and Arlington, maintain approximately 12,000 miles of local streets, and receive funds from the state for that purpose.

The Virginia Department of Transportation operates and maintains:

Roads: The Virginia Department of Transportation's largest responsibility is the maintenance of roads. Filling potholes, storm drain cleaning, water drainage, guard rail replacement, bridge work, tree removal, and trash removal, as well as the maintenance of signs and traffic lights. More than 21,000 bridges and structures Snow removal: VDOT is responsible for removing snow along the major roads of Virginia. Forty-one safety rest areas and ten welcome centers along major highways More than 100 commuter parking lots Four underwater crossings in the Hampton Roads area: The mid-town Elizabeth River tunnelElizabeth River Crossings operates these facilities The downtown Elizabeth River tunnel The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel on I-64 The Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel on I-664

Two mountain tunnels on I-77 in Southwest Virginia: East River Mountain Tunnel Big Walker Mountain Tunnel Two toll roads: Fairfax County's Dulles Toll Road (operated and maintained by MWAA) The Powhite Parkway Extension near Richmond One toll bridge: The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge Three ferry services: Jamestown Ferry Sunny Bank Merry Point

Budget Highway maintenance and operations represent 41% of the total budget, followed by 32% for highway systems construction. Smaller portions of the budget are directed to address the needs and requirements of debt service, support to other agencies, administration, and earmarks and special financing.

Sources

(in millions) Fiscal Year Motor Fuels Tax Vehicle Sales and Use Tax Vehicle License Tax Retail Sales and Use Tax Special General Funds Toll revenue and Other Sources Federal Total 2010 $793 $363 $235 $376 $766 $844 $3,378 2009 $809 $398 $235 $405 $687 $915 $3,448 2008 $843 $561 $216 $422 $325 $738 $910 $4,014

Expenditures

(in millions) Fiscal Year Debt Service Other Agencies & Transfers Maintenance & Operations Tolls, Administration, & Other Programs Public Transportation & Rail Earmarks & Special Financing Highway Systems Construction 2010 $257 $45 $1,631 $396 $19 $362 $669 2009 $260 $45 $1,525 $441 $20 $258 $899 2008 $263 $51 $1,583 $471 $15 $583 $1,048

Districts

Virginia is divided into nine districts:

Bristol District Counties: Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe Cities: Bristol, Norton Salem District Counties: Bedford, Botetourt, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Henry, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski and Roanoke Cities: Galax, Martinsville, Radford, Roanoke and Salem Lynchburg District Counties: Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Cumberland, Halifax, Nelson, Pittsylvania and Prince Edward Cities: Danville and Lynchburg Richmond District Counties: Amelia, Brunswick, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico,Henrico county maintains its own county roads Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, New Kent, Nottoway, Powhatan, and Prince George Cities: Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond Hampton Roads DistrictCities in the Hampton Roads district maintain their own roads, but VDOT has jurisdiction for interstates and tunnels. Counties: Accomack, Isle of Wight,The town of Smithfield maintains its own roads James City, Northampton, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, York, and Greensville Cities: Chesapeake, Emporia, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg Fredericksburg District Counties: Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Westmoreland Cities: Fredericksburg Culpeper District Counties: Albemarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock Cities: Charlottesville Staunton District Counties: Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Clarke, Frederick, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren Cities: Buena Vista, Covington, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester Northern Virginia District Counties: Arlington,Arlington county maintains its own county roads Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Cities: Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park

District Notes

511

Many US states, as well as several US local governments and Canadian provinces, provide 511 systems. The Virginia Department of Transportation provides the Virginia 511 service, which may be accessed by the 511 telephone number, the https://www.511.vdot.virginia.gov website, and Twitter. In May 2012, VDOT introduced the Virginia 511 smartphone apps for Apple and Android devices. The Virginia 511 system provides traffic cameras, real-time road and traffic conditions, trip planning, weather information, and alternatives to traveling by car.

Controversies

Closing of rest areas In July 2009, the Virginia Department of Transportation closed 19 of its rest areas around the state, leaving some stretches of highway, such as I-81 which is a popular route for trucks, or the heavily traveled and often congested I-95 northbound between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, a distance of , without a rest stop. Drivers complained that people who needed to use the restroom would have nowhere to go. The Virginia Department of Transportation countered that the I-95 corridor is highly developed, and many businesses have restrooms, and that closing the rest stops would save the Virginia Department of Transportation 9 million dollars toward its 2.6 billion dollar budget deficit.

In January 2010, governor Bob McDonnell announced that he would reopen all of the closed rest areas as part of his campaign promises. The state is using an "adopt a rest stop" program, pulling 3 million dollars from the reserve maintenance fund, and employing non-violent inmates to help reopen the rest stops. They all reopened on April 17, 2010.

Roadside memorials

Spontaneous roadside memorials, often in the form of white crosses, Stars of David, bouquets of flowers, and photos of the dead, have been placed along roads at the scenes of fatal accidents. As of July 1, 2003, Virginia law has banned these memorials. Transportation officials have deemed them a threat to the safety of motorists.

Virginia law §33.2-216 prohibits any person from installing a memorial on any highway controlled by the Virginia Department of Transportation without a permit. The Virginia Department of Transportation will install a roadside memorial sign, normally for a period of two years. The sign may not deviate from the standard roadside memorial sign specifications. The cost must by paid by the person requesting the sign.

Not everyone agreed with the new program. Vowing to ignore the program, Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William), whose son was killed in an auto accident along I-81 in November 2001, said:

This is the bureaucratization of love. I don't like it one bit. I intend to put a cross up for my son. Period.

By marking an accident site, survivors create "a living memory of this person's life," said Donna Schuurman, president of Association for Death Education and Counseling. Americans have swept the grieving process under the rug, and now it's popping up in public ways that few expected—and that some don't like, according to Ms. Schuurman.

HOT lanes

In 1995, Virginia passed the Public-Private Transportation Act, which allows the state to enter into agreements with private entities to construct, improve, maintain and operate transportation facilities. Since then, Virginia has proposed or awarded several PPTA contracts, including:

Capital Beltway (I-495) HOT Lanes (Completed in November 2012) 14 miles of four HOV/HOT lanes on the Capital Beltway between the Springfield Interchange and just north of the Dulles Toll Road I-95 / I-395 HOT Lanes (proposed) 56 miles from the Pentagon to Spotsylvania CountyI-95 / 395 HOT Lanes Overview The HOT lanes were complete in December 2014, but the lanes stretch from just north of Edsall Road to Garrisonville

HOT lanes are toll lanes operating alongside existing highway lanes. They provided drivers with a faster and more reliable travel option. Buses, carpools, motorcycles and emergency vehicles will be able to use the HOT lanes for free while drivers with fewer than three occupants can use the HOT lanes by paying a toll. The HOT lanes will use dynamic or congestion pricing to manage the number vehicles, and to keep them free-flowing. On average, vehicles are expected to be traveling 55 miles per hour, even during peak travel times.HOT Lanes FAQs

The first HOT Lanes in the nation to open was the 91 Express Lanes project in Orange County, California, opening in December 1995. A computer adjusts the toll every six minutes, raising it if too many cars are on the highway, lowering it if the highway is underutilized. Even drivers who will not pay the toll appreciate the HOT lanes diverting traffic form the regular highway.The New York Times, September 26, 2004, John Tierney, "The Way We Drive Now; The Autonomist Manifesto 20 Years of growing", New York, NY, page 57

But many people are not happy about the proposed HOT lanes in Northern Virginia. In 2001, Maryland governor Parris N. Glendening (D) stopped a state study of similar proposals for the Maryland side of the Capital Beltway. The governor believed it would be unfair to low-income residents to allow affluent drivers to buy their way out of traffic.The Washington Post, July 13, 2002, Michael D. Shear, "Toll Plan Proposed To Widen Beltway - Virginia Considers Private Firm's Offer", Washington, DC, page B1

In 2003, the Virginia Department of Transportation Commissioner Philip A. Shucet stated that "[s]ingle drivers could pay $1 to $4 to get off of the congested regular lanes." By 2009, transportation planners in Washington estimated the projected rush-hour toll need to be $1.60 a mile. According to VDOT's web site:

There will be no toll cap, as tolls must be able to increase to the level necessary to manage real-time traffic demand and keep the lanes congestion free.

Those who own property along the path of the Capital Beltway HOT Lanes are growing increasingly agitated with the project. Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock), who represents a number of neighborhoods affected by the construction, said: