A. Prior to developing and/or operating the qualifying transportation facility, the private entity shall enter into a comprehensive agreement with the responsible public entity. The comprehensive agreement shall, as appropriate, provide for:

Terms Used In Virginia Code 33.2-1808

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Comprehensive agreement: means the comprehensive agreement between the private entity and the responsible public entity required by § 33. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • Concession: means any lease, license, franchise, easement, or other binding agreement transferring rights for the use or control, in whole or in part, of a qualifying transportation facility by a responsible public entity to a private entity for a definite term during which the private entity will provide transportation-related services, including operations and maintenance, revenue collection, toll-collection enforcement, design, construction, and other activities that enhance throughput, reduce congestion, or otherwise manage the facility, in return for the right to receive all or a portion of the revenues of the qualifying transportation facility. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • development: means to plan, design, develop, finance, lease, acquire, install, construct, or expand. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Maintenance: means (i) ordinary maintenance; (ii) maintenance replacement; (iii) operations that include traffic signal synchronization, incident management, and other intelligent transportation system functions; and (iv) any other categories of maintenance that may be designated by the Commissioner of Highways. See Virginia Code 33.2-100
  • operation: means to finance, maintain, improve, equip, modify, repair, or operate. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • Private entity: means any natural person, corporation, general partnership, limited liability company, limited partnership, joint venture, business trust, public benefit corporation, nonprofit entity, or other business entity. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • Public entity: means the Commonwealth and any agency or authority thereof; any county, city, or town; and any other political subdivision of any of the foregoing, but does not include any public service company. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • Qualifying transportation facility: means one or more transportation facilities developed and/or operated by a private entity pursuant to this chapter. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • Responsible public entity: means a public entity, including local governments and regional authorities, that has the power to develop and/or operate the qualifying transportation facility. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • Revenues: means all revenues, including income; earnings; user fees; lease payments; allocations; federal, state, regional, and local appropriations or the appropriations or other funds available to any political subdivision, authority, or instrumentality thereof; bond proceeds; equity investments, service payments, or any combination thereof arising out of or in connection with supporting the development and/or operation of a qualifying transportation facility, including money received as grants or otherwise from the United States of America, from any public entity, or from any agency or instrumentality of the foregoing in aid of such facility. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • Service payments: means payments to the private entity in connection with the development and/or operation of a qualifying transportation facility pursuant to a service contract. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • State: means the Commonwealth of Virginia. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
  • Transportation facility: means any road, bridge, tunnel, overpass, ferry, airport, mass transit facility, vehicle parking facility, port facility, or similar commercial facility used for the transportation of persons or goods, together with any buildings, structures, parking areas, appurtenances, and other property needed to operate such facility; however, "transportation facility" does not include a commercial or retail use or enterprise not essential to the transportation of persons or goods. See Virginia Code 33.2-1800
  • User fees: Fees charged to users of goods or services provided by the government. In levying or authorizing these fees, the legislature determines whether the revenue should go into the treasury or should be available to the agency providing the goods or services.

1. Delivery of performance and payment bonds in connection with the development and/or operation of the qualifying transportation facility, in the forms and amounts satisfactory to the responsible public entity;

2. Review of plans for the development and/or operation of the qualifying transportation facility by the responsible public entity and approval by the responsible public entity if the plans conform to standards acceptable to the responsible public entity;

3. Inspection of construction of or improvements to the qualifying transportation facility by the responsible public entity to ensure that such construction or improvements conform to the standards acceptable to the responsible public entity;

4. Maintenance of a policy or policies of public liability insurance (copies of which shall be filed with the responsible public entity accompanied by proofs of coverage) or self-insurance, each in form and amount satisfactory to the responsible public entity and reasonably sufficient to insure coverage of tort liability to the public and employees and to enable the continued operation of the qualifying transportation facility;

5. Monitoring of the maintenance practices of the private entity by the responsible public entity and the taking of such actions as the responsible public entity finds appropriate to ensure that the qualifying transportation facility is properly maintained;

6. Reimbursement to be paid to the responsible public entity for services provided by the responsible public entity;

7. Filing of appropriate financial statements in a form acceptable to the responsible public entity on a periodic basis;

8. Compensation to the private entity that may include a reasonable development fee, a reasonable maximum rate of return on investment, and/or reimbursement of development expenses in the event of termination for convenience by the responsible public entity as agreed upon between the responsible public entity and the private entity;

9. The date of termination of the private entity’s authority and duties under this chapter and dedication to the appropriate public entity; and

10. Guaranteed cost and completion guarantees related to the development and/or operation of the qualified transportation facility and payment of damages for failure to meet the completion guarantee.

B. The comprehensive agreement shall provide for such user fees as may be established by agreement of the parties. Any user fees shall be set at a level that takes into account any lease payments, service payments, and compensation to the private entity or as specified in the comprehensive agreement. A copy of any service contract shall be filed with the responsible public entity. A schedule of the current user fees shall be made available by the private entity to any member of the public on request. In negotiating user fees under this section, the parties shall establish fees that are the same for persons using the facility under like conditions except as required by agreement between the parties to preserve capacity and prevent congestion on the qualifying transportation facility. The execution of the comprehensive agreement or any amendment thereto shall constitute conclusive evidence that the user fees provided for therein comply with this chapter. User fees established in the comprehensive agreement as a source of revenues may be in addition to or in lieu of service payments.

C. In the comprehensive agreement, the responsible public entity may agree to make grants or loans for the development and/or operation of the qualifying transportation facility from amounts received from the federal government or any agency or instrumentality thereof.

D. The comprehensive agreement shall incorporate the duties of the private entity under this chapter and may contain such other terms and conditions that the responsible public entity determines serve the public purpose of this chapter. Without limitation, the comprehensive agreement may contain provisions under which the responsible public entity agrees to provide notice of default and cure rights for the benefit of the private entity and the persons specified therein as providing financing for the qualifying transportation facility. The comprehensive agreement may contain such other lawful terms and conditions to which the private entity and the responsible public entity mutually agree, including provisions regarding unavoidable delays or provisions providing for a loan of public funds for the development and/or operation of one or more qualifying transportation facilities.

E. The comprehensive agreement shall provide for the distribution of any earnings in excess of the maximum rate of return as negotiated in the comprehensive agreement. Without limitation, excess earnings may be distributed to the Transportation Trust Fund, to the responsible public entity, or to the private entity for debt reduction or they may be shared with appropriate public entities. Any payments under a concession arrangement for which the Commonwealth is the responsible public entity shall be paid into the Transportation Trust Fund.

F. Any changes in the terms of the comprehensive agreement, as may be agreed upon by the parties, shall be added to the comprehensive agreement by written amendment.

G. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this chapter, a responsible public entity may enter into a comprehensive agreement with multiple private entities if the responsible public entity determines in writing that it is in the public interest to do so.

H. The comprehensive agreement may provide for the development and/or operation of phases or segments of the qualifying transportation facility.

I. Any comprehensive agreement originally entered into on or after July 1, 2017, shall include, in consultation with the Virginia State Police, a provision requiring funding for adequate staffing by the Virginia State Police for general law enforcement services during both development and operation of the qualifying transportation facility. As used in this subsection, “adequate staffing” means a level of staffing in accordance with the September 2003 report, “A Review of the Patrol Staffing Formula” as developed pursuant to Item 459(g) of Chapter 1042 of the Acts of Assembly of 2003.

1994, c. 855, § 56-566; 1995, c. 647; 2005, cc. 504, 562; 2006, c. 922; 2014, c. 805; 2017, c. 511.

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