VTCA Team Wraps Up Another Successful Season of District Dialogues

	Hui Wang giving the local Arlington update at the Northern Virginia Dialogue.

On Thursday (November 14) in Hampton, VTCA concluded another successful season of District Dialogues, including 6 separate events and more than 1,200 participants.  The 2024 Dialogues began in late February with the combined Fredericksburg – Culpeper Dialogue held at the Fredericksburg Convention Center.  Marcie Parker and Sean Nelson co-hosted the afternoon event, which featured an overview of district priorities and a guest presentation from ARTBA’s Chief Economists, Dr. Alison Premo Black, on industry Market Analysis. 

The “Dialogue Support Team” moved to Roanoke in March to support the combined Salem – Lynchburg event, which was held at the Hotel Roanoke.  Ken King and Chris Winstead co-hosted this afternoon event that included a special presentation from the City of Roanoke.

The Bristol and Richmond District Dialogues were held in May this year.  Tabitha Crowder kicked off the Bristol event at the Delta Hotel.  This traditional morning program also included presentations from District Planning and Bridge to emphasize the importance of good program and project planning. Dale Totten hosted the Richmond Dialogue.  The District highlighted their annual program and then partnered with a representative from Allen Myers to discuss safety improvements at the I-95 – Belvidere Street Interchange.  The Richmond Dialogue also included a strategic overview from the Central Virginia Transportation Authority (CVTA).

 

Chris Hall speaking at the Hampton Dialogue.

NOVA hosted the first of two popular fall dialogues at the Dulles Airport Westin.  In addition to the VDOT overview from Bill Culter, NOVA’s event on Halloween included presentations from the counties of Loudon, Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William.  It also featured a Project Showcase to celebrate the 495 NEXT megaproject. 

Finally, Chris Hall kicked off what turned out to be a regional dialogue on infrastructure at the Landing at Hampton Marina. The multi-agency program expanded beyond VDOT activities to feature the cities of Suffolk and Virginia Beach, as well as the massive infrastructure programs involving military and military-adjacent work, which were represented by speakers from NAVFAC and the Norfolk Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). Ryan Banas (HNTB) brought everything home with an inspiring message of regional advocacy that included a fascinating update on the bridge tunnel project.