Whittington W.  Clement
 Secretary of Transportation

Contact: Tamara Neale                           CO 53
Phone:  (804) 786-6458                          Oct. 6, 2003
Cell:   (804) 840-2813
E-mail: mailto:tamara.neale@VirginiaDOT.org

 
Virginia's Annual Transportation Conference at VMI Cancelled

Transportation Secretary calls conference off

Richmond, VA - Transportation Secretary Whitt Clement cancelled the annual transportation conference at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, which was to be held Oct. 15-17.   The conference is held at VMI every year during October to bring together state transportation professionals and state, local and federal transportation officials from rail, highway, transit, port, airport and economic development agencies.

"While this conference is an important tradition and source of professional development for our transportation agencies, the combined costs of last winter's storms and Hurricane Isabel make it clear that we are entering a new and more difficult financial environment," said Clement. "It would not be prudent to continue business-as-usual in this environment."

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) will begin considering storm-related budget issues at their workshop meeting on Oct. 15.

The CTB was scheduled to hold its monthly meeting in Lexington prior to the conference, but that has changed.  The CTB will meet in Richmond instead.  Meetings will be held in VDOT's central auditorium, 1221 East Broad Street:

10/15 - Wednesday - 10:00 a.m.:  Committee meeting to discuss VTRANS - the state's long-range transportation plan

10/15 - Wednesday - 2:00 p.m.:  CTB workshop

10/16 - Thursday - 9:00 a.m.: CTB regular meeting

Workshop and meeting agendas will be posted on <http://www.VirginiaDOT.org> by next week.
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