Citizens of the region filled nearly every seat in the auditorium of Radford University’s Bonnie Hurlburt Student Center last night to hear Gov. Tim Kaine’s plan for solving Virginia’s transportation problems. The town hall-style meeting was the sixth in a series Kaine is holding across the state before presenting his plan to the General Assembly.

The Governor has called legislators into a special session on transportation that will convene June 23 in Richmond. The session “is about transportation, but it is also about accountability of state leaders,” said Kaine.

Kaine presented the Commonwealth’s major transportation challenges, chief among them two safety issues: deteriorating bridges and congestion-choked evacuations from the Hampton Roads area. His plan includes increasing revenues for road and bridge maintenance and establishing a transportation change fund for encouraging an array of transportation alternatives such as rail, public transit, ride sharing and telecommuting.

After his presentation, Kaine answered questions for about an hour before concluding the meeting.

Story/photo courtesy of RU University Relations: Kathie Dickenson/Lora Gordon