roads

Virginia needs to resurrect the Transportation Authorities. They were struck down because they were considered unelected taxing bodies and therefore unconstitutional. Therefore, remake them as one of the following:

It may be too late know but if VA were to raise the gas tax slowly as gas prices continue to fall, we could increase revenue. It should only be raised by a fraction of the price decrease. For example, if the state average price falls 10 cents in a week, increase the gas tax by 5 cents. Residents would still see prices fall AND we would still recieve tax revenues. This money should be directly earmarked to benefit the city/county that it is collected in. For regions (i.e Hampton Roads, Northern VA, Richmond Area, etc), however, the money should benefit the region as a whole.

I think that the state needs to look into utilizing public/private partnerships for transportation solutions. Better yet, utilize majority private solutions. The Jordan Bridge for example, in Chesapeake, is going to be shut down because the City cannot afford the maintenance for the deteriorating bridge. There are no plan or money available to replace the bridge. Therefore the region loses a vital transportation link. The Jordan Bridge was built originally designed, built, and paid for by a private source.