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Virginia's Interstate History
| 1906 | The General Assembly establishes the first State Highway Commission. |
| 1910 | Virginia's first motor vehicle registration and licensing law goes into effect. |
| 1916 | The General Assembly earmarks income from registration fees for road maintenance. Also, Congress enacts the nation's first federal-aid highway program. |
| 1918 | The General Assembly establishes the state's first highway system, a network of 4,000 miles linking principal cities. |
| 1923 | A three-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax is enacted to produce revenue for road construction. Voters defeat a bond issue for road construction, favoring a pay-as-you-go method. |
| 1927 | The Department of Highways is established as a state agency. |
| 1932 | The General Assembly creates the secondary road system, allowing counties to relinquish responsibility for local roads to the state. |
| 1956 | Congress authorizes development of a 40,000-mile interstate system, with Virginia's share to be 1,070 miles. |
| 1959 | The state's first interstate segment is opened - the Interstate 95 bypass of Emporia. |
| 1964 | The General Assembly authorizes the development of the state's arterial network-four-lane, divided primary highways to connect areas not directly served by interstates. |
| 1969 | Some I-395 lanes in Northern Virginia are reserved for express buses to encourage use of mass transit, setting a national precedent. Later, the bus lanes are opened to carpools. |
| 1974 | The department's name is changed to the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation, adding rail and public transportation to its jurisdiction. |
| 1986 | A special session of the General Assembly expands revenue sources for transportation, including a new emphasis on airports and seaports. Legislators also expand the transportation board from 12 to 15 members and rename the agency the Virginia Department of Transportation. |
| 1987 | The General Assembly enacts legislation to create special tax districts to finance high cost transportation improvements. Virginia's first special tax district is created in 1988 to upgrade a heavily congested section of Route 28 near the Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia. |
| 1988 | Legislators allow private companies to build and operate for-profit toll roads. Plans for the first such facility - an extension of the state's Dulles Toll Road - are approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board in 1989. |
| 1989 | The General Assembly authorizes the issuance of $600 million in bonds for upgrading the 500-mile-long U.S. Route 58 corridor. The move is expected to promote economic development in Southern and Southwestern Virginia. |
| 1990 | The General Assembly designates that the Secretary of Transportation will act as chairman of the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner becomes vice-chairman. This increases the Transportation Board to 16 members. |
| 1991 | With the nation's interstate system nearly complete, Congress enacts the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), a new approach that emphasizes preservation and improved use of existing roads, and funding to reduce congestion and air pollution. |
| 1992 | The General Assembly elevates
VDOT's Rail and Public Transportation Division to department level,
reporting directly to the Secretary of Transportation. The last segment of Virginia's interstate system opens - a section of Interstate 295 around Richmond and Petersburg. |
| 1995 | Dulles Greenway, the nation's
first private toll road in more than 150 years, opens to traffic. Congress designates 161,000 miles as the National Highway System, including 3,450 miles In Virginia. The General Assembly enacts the Public Private Transportation Act to encourage private companies to build and operate roads and other transportation services. |
| 1997 | Nation's first outcome-based
contract for interstate maintenance allows private company to manage and
operate some of Virginia's interstate highway system. VDOT establishes "Smart Travel" brand for its comprehensive, first-in-the-nation program of intelligent transportation systems. Smart Tag electronic toll collection is introduced on the Dulles Toll Road in Northern Virginia. New federal funding plan (TEA-21) boosts Virginia's share of federal revenue by 62 percent over six years. Clickfor more information. |
| 1998 | First construction contract under PPTA allows private firm to build the Route 895 connector, called the Pocahontas Parkway, an 8.8-mile toll road in the Richmond area. |
| 1999 | Commonwealth Transportation Board adds 17th member - Director of Department of Rail and Public Transportation (non-voting). |
| 2000 | The General Assembly passes the
Virginia Transportation Act of 2000, which sets priorities for the
construction of transportation projects and provides for $3 billion in
new money to accelerate construction of projects in the $10.1 billion
Six-Year Program. The first 1.7-mile section of the Smart Road opens for research and testing. |
| 2001 | Following recommendations from
Governor Gilmore’s Commission on Transportation Policy, the General
Assembly votes to allow VDOT to enter into design-build contracts with
contractors who would be responsible for an entire project, not just a
portion of it. Legislators also vote to allow counties to reassume
responsibilities for maintaining secondary roads with their boundaries,
if they choose to do so. The 175-foot-high Smart Road Bridge opens, completing a two-mile test track. The Commonwealth Transportation Board approves the location for I-73, a new interstate through Virginia. |
| 2002 |
A cooling economy and increased costs causes Governor Warner to call for a “realistic and achievable” Six-Year Program for transportation improvements. Consequently, the $10.1 billion Six-Year Program is cut by one-third and VDOT commits to delivering it on time and on budget. Click for more information. The Route 895 Pocahontas Parkway, VDOT's first Public-Private Partnership Act construction project, opens and allows high-speed, open-lane toll collection for vehicles with Smart Tags. Virginia and North Carolina transportation officials approve a high-speed rail corridor from Washington, D.C., to Charlotte. Virginia becomes one of the first states to launch 511, a traffic and travel information phone number. Virginia's voice-activated service initially covers the I-81 corridor. |
| 2003 |
Six-Year Improvement Program
and Project Dashboard made available for public viewing online. Citizens
can find out which VDOT projects are on time and on budget. VDOT and FHWA sign historic
streamlining agreement for environmental study of I-81. Rural Rustic Roads program launched and proves to be quick-fix paving program that saves time and money. Cost estimating system allows VDOT to obtain more accurate estimates for projects. |