The Botetourt Board of Supervisors was expected to join the Policy Board of the Roanoke Valley Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) in opposition to two pieces of legislation that could lead to increased weights for certain trucks on I-81 when it met Tuesday afternoon.
Virginia Senate Bill 504 and House Bill 1276 now authorize having the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) establish a work group to study the implications of Virginia participating in a federal data collection pilot program that would allow six-axle tractor semi-trailer combinations weighing up to 91,000 pounds. They are now limited to 80,000 pounds.
The supervisors were considering a resolution opposing the two pieces of legislation, while the TPO also asked to be included in the study work group if it is established.
The supervisors’ resolution expressed safety concerns and the potential damage to the interstate that runs through Botetourt.
The resolution notes that I-81 is a critical highway for the region, and serves as a major freight corridor for interstate trucking, as well as for tourists traveling through Western Virginia; and that as such, nearly one in four vehicles is a truck. That, according to VDOT, is the highest ratio of truck traffic on any of Virginia’s major highways.
The resolution says the region has experienced numerous crashes involving trucks and other vehicles resulting in the loss of life and causing significant traffic backups that are often several miles in length.
The legislation says VDOT may consult relevant stakeholders and may review the fee structure for qualifying tractor trucks, the axle spacing for qualifying tractor trucks, issues related to reasonable access from loading facilities onto a primary or secondary highway and interstate highways, the sufficiency of existing data in determining if certain routes and bridges should be excluded from the federal pilot program or project, and any other issues as deemed relevant or appropriate as part of the study.
Meetings about the study have to be completde by November 30and submitted to the General Assembly and the Governor with its findings and recommendations.
