NVTA staff recommends narrow petition process and no routine funding for project cost overruns

Northern Virginia Transportation Authority staff told the NVTA Technical Advisory Committee on Nov. 20 that a draft policy will start from a presumption that the Authority will not fund project cost underestimates or overruns and will allow a narrowly defined petition process for “unique and extraordinary” circumstances.

Lanhee, an NVTA staff member who presented the proposal, said the petition path would be designed to be rare and would align with the Authority’s two‑year update to its six‑year program: “the petition would have to come in in a way that coincides with the 2 year update to the secure program so that we're not looking at any of these. It's kind of a 1 off,” Lanhee said.

Why it matters: NVTA funds capital projects across multiple jurisdictions in Northern Virginia, so absorbing broad cost risk for a…