2025 SESSION

INTRODUCED

25103359D

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 260

Offered January 8, 2025

Prefiled January 7, 2025

Directing the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the Department of Transportation and its funding allocations and maintenance policies for transportation infrastructure. Report.

—————

Patron—Roem

—————

Referred to Committee on Rules

—————

WHEREAS, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission last completed a review of the Commonwealth's highway maintenance funding in January 2002; and

WHEREAS, since 2002, the Commonwealth's highway, bridge, and park-and-ride assets have grown substantially, and pedestrian pathways, sidewalks, and bicycle lanes and paths have become increasingly prominent, particularly in urban and suburban localities; and

WHEREAS, with cost inflation, the required funds to maintain highways, bridges, and other transportation structures may exceed the funding allocations and revenue sources for such maintenance; and

WHEREAS, roughly a decade ago, three regional transportation authorities for Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and metropolitan Richmond began investing several hundred million dollars annually to add new surface transportation infrastructure and increase capacity, but the Commonwealth has not increased its transportation asset maintenance capacity accordingly to care for these now-aging additional public assets; and

WHEREAS, timely and proactive maintenance of highways, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure enhances the safety and comfort of traveling individuals, reduces travel disruptions and delays caused by deferred maintenance, prolongs the life of the Commonwealth's transportation assets, and reduces the need for costly rehabilitation and premature replacement of transportation infrastructure; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission be directed to study the Department of Transportation and its funding allocations and maintenance policies for transportation infrastructure. The study shall include a comprehensive analysis of the revenue sources, allocation procedures, and policies for funding highway and bridge maintenance in the Commonwealth and the adequacy of such sources, procedures, and policies.

In conducting its study, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission shall (i) estimate the current annual maintenance funding allocation needed to (a) maintain in an acceptable condition the aging roadways, bridges, sound walls, sidewalks, bike paths, or shared-use paths within the Department of Transportation's statewide inventory and within localities that receive highway maintenance fund allocations from the Department of Transportation and (b) replace such structures when deterioration renders the replacement necessary; (ii) explore options for additional maintenance conducted by the Department of Transportation or in partnership with local transportation departments, nonprofit organizations, private contractors, or volunteers to perform scheduled and periodic proactive maintenance on Department of Transportation-maintained paths, sidewalks, and conventional or separated bicycle lanes; (iii) examine options for providing or incentivizing increased clearing of snow and ice from paths, sidewalks, and shared-use paths along roadways maintained by the Department of Transportation and bus stops with high numbers of riders; (iv) determine whether Department of Transportation funding allocation policies and maintenance funding constraints are effectively precluding the installation of life-saving traffic control devices in the Commonwealth; and (v) provide recommendations to restructure or increase funding allocations and amend associated policies of the Department of Transportation to allow for increased maintenance to preserve existing roadways, bridges, paved structures, and paths to prevent deterioration and to prevent limited accessibility of such transportation infrastructure due to delayed removal of snow and ice.

Transportation departments of localities, regional transportation authorities, and all agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission for this study, upon request.

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2025, and for the second year by November 30, 2026, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly for each year. Each executive summary shall state whether the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.