Delegate Cline Hosts Multi-State I-81 Conference   LEXINGTON, VA - Delegate Ben Cline (R-Rockbridge) today welcomed legislators and local, state, and federal officials as well as business and nonprofit transportation experts from six different states during the Interstate 81 (I-81) Corridor Conference at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA. The representatives from Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York met to discuss major issues affecting the I-81 corridor such as congestion and possible freight-to-rail solutions. Cline is the Virginia state-level representative on the coalition's Steering Committee. “It’s great to finally move forward with a regional I-81 effort. The best way for Virginia to improve conditions along our stretch of I-81 is for us to work together with the other five states along the interstate," said Cline. He continued, "We not only need cooperation from all levels of government, but also private and nonprofit input as well. This conference has been a great tool for achieving the regional partnership approach that is necessary to solve the growing safety and congestion problems on I-81.” In addition to serving on the eleven member Steering Committee, Cline has also been a steward in the Virginia legislature for efforts involving Interstate 81. In 2005, Delegate Cline sponsored legislation that urged Congress to encourage the primary states served by the interstate to adopt a multi-state transportation planning initiative (HJ709-2005). He presented this resolution to then-Senators Warner and Allen along with representatives of the Rockbridge Area Conservation Council. Cline also passed legislation which established the I-81 Safety Task Force, a group comprised of public and private representatives along the I-81 corridor in Virginia (HB2554-2005). This task force has met several times and has made several recommendations to VDOT to improve safety along I-81 in Virginia, including lengthening exit and entrance ramps, additional installation of rumble strips, the construction of climbing lanes along steep sections of the interstate, and increased use of electronic message displays. Delegate Cline sponsored legislation requiring VDOT to study the potential for diversion of truck traffic onto rail lines (HR 1581-2006), and he also obtained $50 million in funding in the 2007 budget for a public-private partnership with Norfolk Southern to improve a critical stretch of rail line along the I-81 corridor. “Although each state has unique challenges facing its transportation network, all of us along the I-81 corridor share the challenges of increased freight traffic, congestion, and safety concerns. Only through cooperation among the various states will we succeed in addressing these challenges while continuing our progress along the corridor. I look forward to continuing my work in Virginia to improve this major economic artery that runs through my district, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and many other nearby states,” stated Cline. Interstate 81 runs for 846 miles from its southern terminus near Dandridge, TN until its northern terminus near Wellesley Island State Park in New York. In Virginia, I-81 stretches for 323 miles, the most in any of the six states the interstate serves, and passes through or near many cities in Virginia such as Roanoke, Blacksburg, Lexington, Staunton, Harrisonburg, and Winchester. The Interstate 81 Corridor Coalition, a six-state coalition, was organized to handle issues along Interstate 81, such as truck traffic, air pollution, and infrastructure. This meeting will mark the third time that officials from the states mentioned above have met as members of the coalition.

* * * * *