<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 33.2-2605 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding sections numbered 33.2-2600.2 and 33.2-2600.3, relating to Hampton Roads Interstate Highway Corridor Improvement Program and Fund; Hampton Roads Highway Coastal Resilience Program and Fund; Planning District 23.</p>
HB583 creates two new special, nonreverting transportation funds for Planning District 23, which is Hampton Roads, and assigns both to the existing regional Commission for administration. The first fund supports a Hampton Roads Interstate Highway Corridor Improvement Program focused on planning, financing, building, and maintaining highway corridors connected to, surrounding, or paralleling interstate highways. The program is intended to reduce congestion and improve safety on routes that serve as alternatives to interstates, including U.S. Routes 58 and 460, while also accounting for traffic impacts from the Port of Virginia.
The second fund establishes a Hampton Roads Highway Coastal Resilience Program to address transportation infrastructure at risk from recurrent and coastal flooding. This program would support planning, construction, and maintenance of roads and related infrastructure vulnerable to flooding, and would require the Commission to develop a long-term resilience plan in consultation with regional planning bodies and localities. Both funds would receive appropriations and other contributions, retain interest, and not revert to the general fund at year-end.
The bill would add two new sections to Title 33.2 and amend the Commission’s budget and expense provisions to incorporate the new funds alongside existing regional transportation funding mechanisms. It would authorize the Comptroller to deposit dedicated amounts monthly into the new funds, allow the Commission to invest excess balances, and restrict the use of those monies to the specified corridor-improvement and coastal-resilience purposes plus limited administrative costs. The bill also protects participating localities by providing that these funds cannot be used to reduce other federal, state, or local revenue shares or affect the local composite index used for public education funding.
The available record shows no recorded votes or committee debate, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from hearings. Based on the bill’s structure, it appears designed as a targeted regional infrastructure investment measure for Hampton Roads, with an emphasis on congestion relief, safety, and flood resilience. Its framing suggests a policy focus on long-term transportation planning rather than a controversial statewide change.
The main potential points of contention are likely to be funding priorities and regional allocation of transportation dollars. Because the bill creates dedicated funds for Planning District 23, lawmakers or stakeholders outside Hampton Roads could view it as concentrating state resources in one region. Within the region, project selection criteria could also draw scrutiny, since the Commission would have discretion to prioritize projects based on congestion benefits, readiness, and Port of Virginia impacts. No specific objections or supporters are identified in the provided materials.