3 groups submit plans to upgrade US 460

PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) - Three groups say they want a crack at upgrading U.S. 460 in eastern Virginia.

The proposals would turn a 55-mile stretch of highway between Petersburg and Suffolk into a four-lane toll road. The highway west of Petersburg, the bulk of which is four-lane to the West Virginia and Kentucky borders, is not a toll road.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has made the upgrade a transportation priority. The roadway is considered an emergency and hurricane evacuation route, as well as a connector for freight traffic serving the Hampton Roads area.

Earlier this year the Virginia Department of Transportation canceled an effort to seek a private-public partnership because there were no tax dollars available to help fund it. The agency recently started a new round of solicitations.

The Department of Transportation received proposals from:

--Cintra Infraestructuras S.A.U., a consortium led by Cintra Infraestructuras S.A., a Spanish company that is a major builder and operator of private toll roads in Europe, Canada and the U.S. The group also includes Ferrovial Agroman S.A., Janssen & Spaans Engineering Inc., A. Morton Thomas and Associates Inc. and American Infrastructure Inc.

--460 Partners Inc., a Richmond-based company formed last month and led by Moreland Property Group Inc. of Richmond. Other members include Infrastructure Capital Partners LLC, CGA Capital, Bank of America, Lane Construction Corp., Skanska USA Civil Southeast Inc., AECOM and Transfield Services North America.

--Multimodal Solutions LLC, a New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based company with partners that include Edgemoor Real Estate Services LLC, Clark Construction Group LLC, Shirley Contracting Co. LLC, Autostrade S.p.A., Keiwit Construction Inc., Louis Berger Group and Barclays Capital.

The department says it has up to 30 days to review the proposals to ensure they meet the necessary requirements. The proposals will be posted on agency's web site: http://route460ppta.org.