Landes calls VDOT plans 'stupid'

VERONA — VDOT’s long-term cost-cutting plans that include potential closing of the Verona residency office and two Augusta County rest stops were described in part as “stupid’’ Thursday by Del. Steve Landes.

The Weyers Cave delegate said the closing of the Verona residency office “is just stupid. Augusta is the second largest county in the commonwealth.”

If the change is made as part of closing of 15 state residency offices, Augusta County’s maintenance needs would then be handled by the Harrisonburg residency office.

Landes spoke during a Verona public hearing on the proposed reduction of services by VDOT to help with $2.6 billion in budget cuts over the next five years because of reduced revenues.

About $2 billion of the cuts would be accomplished in delaying or eliminating 800 construction projects statewide.

The remainder of the cuts involve service and administrative reductions, and the closing of several rest areas and residency offices.

The final decision on the service and administrative cuts will be made later by the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

Landes said maintenance delays for Augusta County would be inevitable if Verona closes.

“It would take up to two weeks to get to some roads,’’ said Landes, who said it will stretch the Harrisonburg residency office’s resources to cover both Rockingham and Augusta counties.

In addition to the snow removal, Landes said the residency closing would delay Augusta County pothole and bridge repairs.

The potential closing of two rest stops on Interstate 81 north and south in Mount Sidney are part of 25 planned rest stop closings that would save VDOT about $12 million annually.

The rest stop changes also drew fire from Landes.

“It [rest stop closings] is most illogical when we are trying to bring tourists into Virginia,’’ he said. “The closing of rest stops is ill-conceived. We are trying to bring jobs and people to spend money in the commonwealth.”

Other VDOT service changes call for reduced roadside mowing and roadside maintenance to save $20 million annually.

Augusta County Supervisor Gerald Garber told VDOT officials that he would be forced to do maintenance on roads leading to his Weyers Cave dairy farm every four to six weeks.

“I will mow the roads and move the snow,’’ said Garber, who said he would be the exception to others who live near roads requiring VDOT maintenance.

Landes said VDOT’s plan does not closely examine the agency’s bureaucracy in Richmond.

“If you want savings, change the strategy,’’ he said. Landes proposes cutting more Richmond jobs than those of VDOT field employees who provide maintenance work.

The delegate said a good first step for VDOT would be the agency submitting to an independent audit by a firm outside Virginia state government.

VDOT Commissioner David Eckern told the hearing crowd that the cutting of staff and services “is extremely stressful for the people in the department who give you good service each day.”