NORTHERN VIRGINIA — Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) staff on Sept. 17 presented draft strategies that would implement the authority’s previously adopted vision, mission and four strategic goals and said the authority is tentatively planning full adoption of the five‑year plan in November 2025.

NVTA project delivery and grants manager Amanda Sink led the Technical Advisory Committee briefing and summarized the four goals and associated draft strategies that staff recommends the authority adopt as the “top half” of the strategic plan. “I’m Amanda Sink. I’m the project delivery and grants manager, and I’m bringing back to you the strategic plan update,” Sink said during her presentation.

The draft strategies are organized under four goals: (1) lead the region’s transportation initiatives; (2) maximize public benefit through project selection and delivery; (3) enhance regional planning through technical assistance and data‑driven information; and (4) safeguard and diversify NVTA revenue sources. Staff described specific substrategies such as keeping NVTA at the forefront of evolving transportation technology and practice, strengthening oversight and engagement with project sponsors to support project delivery, expanding data analytics and sharing Northern Virginia–specific data with partners, and pursuing competitive grant opportunities to diversify revenue.

Sink told the committee the authority previously adopted the vision, mission, core values and goals earlier in 2025 and that the current presentation focused on the draft strategies that sit below those elements. She said the strategies are high level at this stage and that quantifiable performance metrics are not yet finalized: “this strategic plan is not something that we’re just gonna adopt and then put on a shelf and never think about again.” Sink said metrics will be developed and reported annually, and that the authority will continue updating the plan over the five‑year period.

On specific items, staff said NVTA will continue to lead long‑range planning for Planning District 8 (Northern Virginia), advance bicycle and pedestrian work when it serves regional needs, support transportation technology efforts through the authority’s technology committee, and amplify NVTA’s role as an advocate in state and federal transportation discussions. Under the funding goal, staff recommended protecting long‑term funding capacity, continuing post‑program economic benefit analyses, and building NVTA’s capacity to apply for and administer federal grants or to apply on behalf of regional projects.

Staff indicated the draft strategies will next be presented to the Planning Coordination and Advisory Committee (PCAC) and that NVTA staff will present the package to the authority for consideration, with a target for full adoption of the plan in November 2025. Sink said annual metrics and reporting will be the mechanism for tracking implementation of the strategies.

Discussion on the draft strategies at the Technical Advisory Committee focused on clarifying the role NVTA would play in grant applications and technical assistance for jurisdictions that lack capacity, and on whether data and analytics capacity would be built primarily in‑house or in collaboration with regional partners. Sink and other staff said NVTA intends to collaborate with regional partners and to use existing coordinating committees (for example, the Regional Jurisdiction and Agency Coordinating Committee) to communicate service availability and to deploy technical assistance. Staff said NVTA is building internal data and modeling capacity while continuing to use external partners where appropriate.

No formal action was taken by the Technical Advisory Committee on the draft strategies at the Sept. 17 meeting; staff said they will seek the committee’s endorsement at the next meeting before sending a recommendation to the authority.

The committee approved the meeting’s summary notes at the start of the session. The meeting adjourned after committee discussion and reported operational updates.