Related

• Political and campaign coverage, including multimedia, resources, endorsements, maps and more

roanoke.com/politics

• State, local and national political coverage, Virginia General Assembly and gubernatorial politics

HAMPTON -- State Senate leaders remain optimistic about producing a far-reaching package of transportation legislation for the upcoming General Assembly session, but a task force charged with spearheading the effort has yet to reach consensus on several key issues, including possible tax increases for roads, rail and mass transit.

The task force, named START, held the third of four scheduled meetings Friday, shortly after the budget-writing Senate Finance Committee heard another grim assessment of the state's transportation woes at its annual retreat. Lawmakers and Gov.-elect Tim Kaine have identified transportation as the top priority for the upcoming General Assembly session.

A recent study by state transportation officials concluded that projected revenue will fall $108 billion short of the $203 billion needed over the next 20 years to cover capital and maintenance costs for all modes of transportation. The highway system alone will require additional spending of $925 million annually to fully match federal funding and sustain the state's road construction fund, according to the study.

The Senate passed legislation in 2004 that would have increased taxes on gasoline and vehicle sales to generate revenue for transportation, but the House of Delegates defeated the measure. Senate leaders have indicated that their 2006 package will also include reforms in transportation planning and project management and provide taxpayers with a clear road map of how money is being spent.

"I don't think anybody has made any decisions on anything now except that we need to do better," said Sen. Charles Hawkins, R-Chatham, the chairman of the task force and a member of the Finance Committee.

The task force, which includes senators, business executives and transportation experts, spent three hours Friday discussing a range of options for planning and managing transportation projects and paying for them. The framework for a legislative package should emerge from the group's final meeting on Dec. 16. But lawmakers' work could continue beyond the upcoming legislative session.

"I think it's so complicated that it has to be done in phases," said Sen. John Chichester, R- Stafford County, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

The panel briefly discussed an array of options for generating new revenue. The list included including increasing the state's 17.5 cents per gallon excise tax on gasoline, applying a gasoline sales tax, expanding the use of tolls, and privatizing some roadways. But lawmakers also acknowledged that money alone can't solve Virginia's transportation problems. Many also said that rail improvements must be part of any long-range transportation blueprint.

Kaine has said he would not consider any tax increases until lawmakers permanently prohibit the diversion of money from the state's transportation trust fund, which contains revenue from transportation-related taxes.

Kaine also has called for greater coordination between transportation and land-use planning and for allowing local governments to deny rezonings when roads are insufficient to handle new development. Two members of Kaine's transition team participated in Friday's task force meeting.