Virginia Department of Transportation Laying Off 600

The Virginia Department of Transportation is notifying 600 employees this week they will be laid off in September. Construction and Planning have been specifically targeted; and safety-related jobs will be spared.

The VDOT has canceled $2 billion worth of road building due to state budget cuts.

In May, the agency employed 8,200 people. It hopes up to half of those laid off could be offered other jobs, with Virginia or with other states.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is the government agency responsible for building, maintaining and operating Virginia’s roads, bridges and tunnels. It is overseen by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which has the power to fund airports, seaports, rail and public transportation. Virginia has the third largest state-maintained highway system in the country, just behind North Carolina and Texas.