Restricted documents have been sealed within the collection.
There are no restrictions.
Records of the Virginia Secretary of Transportation, 1995; 2002-2010. Accession 44688 and 53730, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.
Accession 44688 transferred from the Virginia Secretary of Transportation on 14 January 2010. Accession 53730 was found in a file cabinet in the Patrick Henry Building by the Youngkin administration and transferred from the Office of the Governor on 29 September 2022.
Accession 44688 was processed by Paige Neal in 2019. Accession 53730 was processed by Roger Christman in October 2022. Series V. Files of Deputy Secretary of Transportation Barbara Reese were, for the most part, in no recognizable order. The processing archivist arranged them by project.
In 1970, the Governor's Management Commission Study recommended the creation of six "Deputy Governors" to assist the Chief Executive in his managerial duties. Compatible functions of government were grouped under these administrative heads, who would serve as the Governors top management team or "secretariats," as they are called now.
Governor Linwood Holton's top priority for the 1972 session of the General Assembly was a proposal for a Governor's Cabinet, reorganizing state agencies into six major departments--each headed by a secretary appointed by the governor. Transportation and public safety was one of these six departments. The office of Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was created on April 8, 1972, by an act passed by the General Assembly. Governor Holton appointed Wayne A. Whitham, a member of the Winchester City Council, as the first Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety. When Whitham took office on July 1, 1972, he was responsible for State Highway Commission, Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of State Police, Highway Safety Division, Office of Emergency Services, Department of Military Affairs, Virginia State Crime Commission and the Law Enforcement Officers Training Standards Commission. The Office has undergone a series of administrative reorganizations since. On April 12, 1976, the Legislature established separate secretariats for transportation and for public safety, effective July 1, 1976. On July 1, 1984, the offices were again combined. Most recently, the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was divided into separate secretariats on February 22, 1990. The Secretary of Transportation is a member of the Governor's Cabinet, and is appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The Secretary is responsible to the governor for the Department of Transportation, Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Department of Aviation, Department of Motor Vehicles, Virginia Port Authority and the Motor Vehicle Dealers Board.
Wayne A. Whitham, the first Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety, was reappointed by Governor-elect Miles E. Godwin, Jr., in December 1973 and by Governor-elect John N. Dalton in December 1977. Whitham suffered a heart attack in August 1978 and resigned in December 1978. On June 7, 1984, Whitham died in Richmond, Virginia. Governor Dalton named George M. Walters, a former top executive of the Reynolds Metals Corporation, to succeed Whitham as Secretary of Transportation. Walters served until the end of Dalton's term in January 1982. Governor-elect Charles S. Robb, the first Democrat to be elected governor since 1965, did not retain any of Dalton's cabinet secretaries. Robb appointed Andrew B. Fogarty, Dalton's assistant secretary for financial policy, as Secretary of Transportation. On July 1, 1984, the secretariats of transportation and public safety were combined again. As a result this partial reorganization of state government, Governor Robb appointed Fogarty Secretary of Administration and Franklin E. White, Secretary of Public Safety, assumed Fogarty's Transportation duties. White, who served as a White House liaison official under President Jimmy Carter, resigned in June 1985 to become the New York state commissioner of transportation. He was replaced by Andrew Fogarty who served until the end of the Robb administration. He later served as Governor Gerald L. Baliles chief of staff from August 1986 to October 1989 when he resigned to become a vice president with CSX Corporation.
In December 1985, Governor-elect Gerald L. Baliles, picked Vivian E. Watts, a northern Virginia legislator, as Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety. Watts served until the end of Baliles' term in 1990. In 1995 she was elected to her old seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. On February 22, 1990, the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was divided into separate secretariats. Governor L. Douglas Wilder, appointed John G. Milliken, a member of the Arlington County Board of Supervisors, as the Secretary of Transportation. Milliken resigned on December 17, 1993.
In February 1994 Governor George Allen, the first Republican elected governor since 1977, appointed Robert Martinez as Secretary of Transportation. Martinez was born in Cuba and had served as Deputy Administrator for the Marine Administration and Associate Deputy Secretary of Transportation during President George H. W. Bush's administration. At the end of Governor Allen's term in January 1998, Martinez joined the Norfolk Southern Corporation. Shirley Ybarra, deputy Secretary of Transportation in the Allen administration, was named Martinez's successor by Governor-elect James Gilmore. Ybarra previously worked as a special assistant to Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole during President Ronald Reagan's administration. Ybarra served until the end of Gilmore's administration in January 2002. Whittington W. Clement, a former lawyer and long-time member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the City of Danville, was appointed Secretary of Transportation by Governor Mark R. Warner in 2002. Pierce R. Homer, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, replaced Clement in 2005.
Pierce R. Homer was reappointed Virginia's Secretary of Transportation by Governor Timothy Kaine on 5 January 2006, having also served as Secretary of Transportation under Governor Warner. Prior to his appointment as Secretary, Homer served as Deputy Secretary of Transportation with functional oversight of the Virginia Department of Transportation, private partnership programs, and technology investments. As Deputy Secretary, he worked with the transportation agencies to develop and implement uniform cost and revenue estimating, debt management, and accountability measures.
The Secretary of Transportation records consist of 58 archival boxes and are divided into 5 series. Series have been designated for Appointment Calendars (I), Constituent Correspondence (II), Legislative Files (III), Special Projects and Studies (IV) and Files of Deputy Secretary of Transportation Barbara Reese (V). These records document the work of the Secretary of Transportation during the Kaine administration and were created or collected, 2006-2009, though some documents in this collection pre-date this time period.
This collection is arranged into the following series:
Appointment Calendars, 2007-2010, are housed in 1 archival box and are arranged chronologically. This series consists of computer generated calendar sheets documenting the appointments of Pierce R. Homer, Secretary of Transportation. The calendar sheets list daily activities, including meetings and other events such as conferences, receptions, and speaking engagements.
Constituent Correspondence, 2005-2009 (bulk 2006-2009), is housed in 18 archival boxes and is arranged chronologically. This series documents correspondence received by the Secretary of Transportation during Governor Timothy Kaine's administration. The majority of this correspondence is addressed directly to Secretary Homer and includes the original letter as well as a copy of the response. Also includes correspondence referred from the Governor's Office for response, correspondence referred to agencies for response, courtesy copies of correspondence, and printed emails. Correspondence may include attachments, such as presentations and reports. This correspondence covers topics including legislation, transportation funding, traffic congestion, transportation priorities, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA - 2009 Federal stimulus), Public Private Partnerships, Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project and Dulles Toll Road/MWAA, Gray v. Secretary of Transportation, et al., HB 3202 implementation, Virginia Dept. of Rail and Public Transportation, urban development, and road maintenance, as well as many others.
Legislative Files, 2006-2008, are housed in 8 archival boxes and organized into 3 subseries for: I. Transportation legislation and funding, 2006-2007; II. Transportation Bill (HB 3202), 2007; and III. Transportation Special Session, 2008. This series focuses on Governor Kaine's transportation priorities and plans, funding and projects. Includes correspondence, budgets, legislation, draft legislation, presentations, reports, revenue data, statistical analyses, summaries, and talking points.
Transportation legislation and funding, 2002-2008 (bulk 2006-2008), is housed in 4 archival boxes, and includes correspondence and attachments related to the 2006 General Assembly Session; Governor Kaine's 2007 Transportation Plan; and the 2007 General Assembly Session, including HB 3202. This series covers the development of Kaine's Transportation Plan, as well as the legislative process related to the plan. Governor Kaine's Transportation Plan focused on accountability, budget and adequate transportation funding, revenue sources, traffic impact, land use, mass transit, and public-private partnerships. Also includes information on updates to the Transportation Six-Year Improvement Plan. Contains correspondence and related attachments, including budget recommendations, presentations, reports, revenue data, statistical analyses, summaries, and talking points. Also includes several files that pre-date the Kaine Administration (2002-2005). See also Subseries II. Transportation Bill (HB 3202) for more information related to this legislation.
Arranged chronologically.
Transportation Bill (HB 3202) files, 2007, are housed in 2 boxes and are arranged alphabetically. This bill focused on transportation funding and reform and provided for statewide funding of transportation projects; gave authority to localities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to impose additional fees for transportation; made several administrative and efficiency reforms impacting transportation; and authorized the Commonwealth Transportation Board to issue bonds for statewide transportation funding. The proposed legislation also recommended changes to land use requirements; local responsibility for maintenance and construction of transportation infrastructure; and environmental permitting. Contains correspondence, budgets, draft legislation, impact statements, plans, presentation, and reports. Topics include bonds, new revenues, land use, maintenance, public transit, tolling, urban development and the Transportation Six Year Improvement Plan. Also see Subseries I. Correspondence and attachments, 2006-2007, for additional information related to HB 3202.
Arranged alphabetically by topic.
Transportation Special Session, 2008, is housed in 2 boxes. Governor Kaine released details of his Transportation Plan and called for a Special Session of the General Assembly on June 23, 2008, to address transportation needs and issues in the Commonwealth. The Governor's plan addressed the growing road and bridge maintenance deficit in order to promote safety, provided for regional transportation needs, and noted the need to invest in innovative approaches to Virginia's transportation challenges. Also see Subseries II. Transportation Bill (HB 3202), for additional information related to the Special Session. Includes correspondence, budgets, legislation, plans, presentations, revenue data and reports.
Arranged alphabetically by topic.
Special Projects and Studies, 2001-2009 (bulk 2006-2009), are housed in 25 archival boxes and organized into 10 subseries. Subseries are designated for Access Management Regulations (I); American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (II); Virginia Dept. of Aviation (III); Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) (IV); Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project (V); Loudoun County Pilot Project (VI); Secondary Street Acceptance Requirements (VII); Traffic Impact Analysis Study (VIII); Virginia Dept. of Transportation Reorganization (IX); and Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project (X).
Access Management Regulations, 2007-2008, consist of one folder related to the review and development of access management regulations and accompanying design standards to roadway entrances and intersections (24 VAC 30-72). Includes correspondence, draft regulations, and public comments.
Arranged chronologically.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) records, 2009, are housed in one box are arranged chronologically. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, enacted on February 17, 2009, was a federal stimulus package that included infrastructure funds to invest in highway and bridge construction and repair, and mass transit and rail projects. This subseries documents Virginia's efforts to establish transportation priorities, collaborate with localities, and select projects for ARRA funding. Investment priorities included addressing structurally deficient bridges and deficient pavements, BRAC related projects, improvement of rail systems, and congestion relief projects. Includes correspondence with state, federal and local officials, legislators, and constituents; compiled lists of prioritized transportation projects (surface transportation, potential projects, systems operation/traffic engineering projects, bridge and culvert projects, rail projects, projects by region, upgrade projects) and project tracking documentation; notes, presentations, project files (briefs, budgets, reports, summaries); and reports.
Arranged alphabetically.
Dept. of Aviation records, 2006-2007, consist of one folder and contain records related to aviation projects including aircraft procurement, DCA Waiver Program, safety and court cases. Includes correspondence, court records, presentations and reports.
Arranged chronologically.
Base Realignment and Closure records, 2006-2008, are housed in two boxes. Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a congressionally authorized process that the U.S. Dept. of Defense has used to reorganize its military base structure to more effectively support troops, increase operational readiness and facilitate new ways of doing business. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations for Virginia included decommissioning and closing Fort Monroe, and realigning and transforming Fort Belvoir into a flagship installation. The majority of this series is related to Virginia Dept. of Transportation (VDOT) assistance in planning, and design and construction of the transportation infrastructure necessary to mitigate the impact of the growth of Fort Belvoir. Also contains environmental impact information related to Fort Lee and Quantico. Includes correspondence, briefings, environmental impact reports, legislation, memoranda of understanding, presentations, and reports (including traffic analysis reports).
Arranged alphabetically.
Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project records, 2001-2009, are housed in fifteen boxes. The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project was approved in 2002 to build a 23 mile extension of Washington's existing Metrorail System to run from East Falls Church, through Tyson's Corner to Reston (Phase 1), and then on to Dulles International Airport and on to Loudoun County (Phase 2). This rail line is intended to provide high-capacity transit service along the Dulles corridor and between the corridor and downtown Washington. Project partners include Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), Fairfax County, Town of Herndon and Loudoun County. In 2006, the Commonwealth of Virginia entered into an agreement with the MWAA to assume the Commonwealth's responsibility for operating the Dulles Toll Road and its responsibility for financing and building the Dulles Corridor Metrorail. This subseries includes correspondence, agreements, briefs, drafts of documents, Freedom of Information Act responses and copies of documents produced, notes, permits, presentations, project files, reports, talking points.
Arranged alphabetically.
Loudoun County Pilot Program records, 2006, are housed in one box. Chapter 527, Acts of the General Assembly 2006, required the Virginia Dept. of Transportation (VDOT) to develop policies and procedures to assist localities in evaluating the impact of various local land use decisions on roadways. VDOT's Northern Virginia District conducted a pilot program using information from a proposed comprehensive plan update in the Upper Broad Run and Upper Foley subareas of Loudoun County to examine and analyze the local and regional transportation impacts to assist in the development of adequate internal processes for this evaluation. Includes correspondence with VDOT and local officials; articles; maps; meeting records and notes; presentations and reports.
Arranged alphabetically.
Secondary Street Acceptance Requirement records, 2007-2008, are housed in 3 boxes and are arranged alphabetically. Senate Bill 1181 (2007) instructed the Commonwealth Transportation Board to develop regulations to govern secondary street development and criteria for acceptance of these streets by VDOT for subsequent maintenance. Requirements were to ensure connectivity of roads and pedestrian networks; to minimize storm water runoff and impervious surface areas; and to provide for associated cost recovery fees. These records document the regulatory review process and include correspondence, drawings/plans, maps, presentations, public hearing transcripts and comments, reports and research materials (publications; news articles; studies; design guidelines, standards and practices in other states).
Arranged alphabetically.
Traffic Impact Analysis Regulation records, 2006-2007, are housed in three boxes and are arranged alphabetically. Senate Bill 699 (2006) required enhanced coordination between land use and transportation, and established Code of Virginia 15.2-222 to expand VDOT's role in land planning and the development review process by requiring VDOT to evaluate and analyze comprehensive plans and land development proposals that might have significant impact on state controlled highways. Administrative Code 24VAC30-155 established guidelines for traffic analysis that was to be used by local governments in their planning and land use decision making process. Records include correspondence, meeting records, presentations, public comments, regulations, reports, and research materials (articles, papers, publications, review of policies in other states).
Arranged alphabetically.
VDOT Reorganization records, 2007-2009, are housed in three boxes, and document the VDOT response to the challenges of a declining economy and decreased transportation funding. VDOT proposed and implemented a restructuring blueprint for organizational streamlining and staff reduction. These records document the reorganization process and include correspondence, briefs, presentations and reports.
Arranged alphabetically.
Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project records, 2006-2007, are housed in one box. After a flooding event on June 25, 2006, in the Huntington/Arlington Terrace area of Fairfax County, there was a perception that Woodrow Wilson Bridge construction my have played a significant role in the flood. VDOT conducted a study of the conditions and circumstances surrounding the flood and reported in October 2006 that the bridge construction had little or no bearing on the flood. An independent review panel was created to analyze the report and review all methodologies and assumptions used for conclusions for accuracy. The review panel concurred with the VDOT findings. Includes correspondence and reports.
Arranged alphabetically.
The Files of Deputy Secretary of Transportation Barbara Reese, 1995, 2002-2008, are housed in 6 archival boxes and organized by project: Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, Dulles Toll Road, I-495 HOT Lanes, and Transportation Bill (HB 3202). This series includes correspondence, budgets, email, legislation, draft legislation, memorandums, notes, presentations, project files, reports, revenue data, statistical analyses, summaries, and talking points. See also Series III. Legislative Files for more information on Transportation Bill (HB 3202) and Series IV. Special Projects and Studies for more information on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.
Barbara Reese served as Deputy Secretary of Transportation from July 2007 to January 2009. During her tenure, Reese was the chief public negotiator for the I-495 HOT Lanes Project, a Public Private Transportation Act (PPTA) project to build toll lanes on the Capital Beltway. Reese was also the project director for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project was approved in 2002 to build a 23 mile extension of Washington's existing Metrorail System to run from East Falls Church, through Tyson's Corner to Reston (Phase 1), and then on to Dulles International Airport and on to Loudoun County (Phase 2). This rail line is intended to provide high-capacity transit service along the Dulles corridor and between the corridor and downtown Washington. Project partners include Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), Fairfax County, Town of Herndon and Loudoun County. In 2006, the Commonwealth of Virginia entered into an agreement with the MWAA to assume the Commonwealth's responsibility for operating the Dulles Toll Road and its responsibility for financing and building the Dulles Corridor Metrorail. Finally, Reese oversaw the implementation of HB 3202 (2007), legislation focused on transportation funding and reform and provided for statewide funding of transportation projects; gave authority to localities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to impose additional fees for transportation; made several administrative and efficiency reforms impacting transportation; and authorized the Commonwealth Transportation Board to issue bonds for statewide transportation funding. The proposed legislation also recommended changes to land use requirements; local responsibility for maintenance and construction of transportation infrastructure; and environmental permitting.
Barbara Reese served as Deputy Policy Director from January 2009 to January 2010. Reese lead the implementation of Virginia's $5 billion share of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act including program and project design, implementation, reporting, and auditing. She also directed Virginia's $2 billion High Speed Rail Program and federal application process. Reese served as Legislative Director following the departure of Suzette Denslow in January 2009. Before joining the Kaine administration in 2007, Reese served as the chief financial officer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.