NVTA transportation technology committee narrows 2026 priorities, sets quarterly meetings

The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Transportation Technology Committee on Sept. 30 narrowed its workplan for calendar year 2026 and proposed a schedule of quarterly meetings as it prepares input for the region—s TransAction long-range plan update.

Committee staff summarized eight previously developed focus areas and said committee resources are likely sufficient to complete detailed work on roughly four of them in 2026. "With limited resources, we don't want to overcommit and underperform," Keith Jasper, NVTA staff, told the committee, asking members to advise which areas should be advanced.

The committee heard that the Transportation Technology Strategic Plan (TTSP), the NVTA—s core values (equity, safety, sustainability), and TransAction goals (mobility, accessibility, resiliency) were used as the scoring framework for the eight focus areas. Jasper said staff combined those qualitative scores into a ranking to guide which topics the committee could pursue next year.

Why it matters: The committee—s prioritized topics will feed into NVTA—s TransAction update and into the Authority—s six-year programming decisions; staff said timing is intended to shape projects and funding requests that could appear in the next TransAction project list.

Most of the discussion focused on how to interpret the staff ranking and where NVTA should play a primary role versus a support role. Staff flagged three focus areas where they believe NVTA may act as a primary lead: active transportation; regional technology coordination and procurement strategies; and automated traffic enforcement. Other topics, including artificial intelligence and cybersecurity education, scored lower under the committee—s current method despite participants noting their cross-cutting importance.

Several members urged the committee to avoid duplicating existing regional efforts. "We don't want to reinvent any wheels," Anne McGrane of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission said, while noting NVTA can play a convening or funding oversight role where appropriate. Brad Sturtz, representing Volkswagen and Audi, suggested that AI and cybersecurity may have been scored low because the draft language emphasized "education" rather than integration across other strategies.

Committee members also discussed the new bus rapid transit (BRT) action plan and transit-related technologies (transit signal priority, real-time information) as items that will intersect with the committee—s prioritized work. "Transit technology integration is definitely a piece of BRT," Jasper said.

Next steps and schedule: Staff proposed the committee meet quarterly in 2026 (9 a.m. Tuesdays on Jan. 27, April 28, July 28 and Oct. 27) to complete the focused work, and asked members to send follow-up comments within one week so staff can finalize the 2026 work plan. "We would like the comments while they are fresh in your mind," Jasper said.

Votes and formal actions: At the meeting—s start the committee approved the June 17, 2025 summary notes by unanimous voice vote after a motion to approve was made and seconded. The meeting also concluded by unanimous voice vote on a motion to adjourn.

Ending: Staff said it will return a refined work plan that reflects member input and the committee—s decisions about which focus areas to pursue in 2026, and will circulate the summary and the proposed meeting schedule to members. Members were also reminded that NVTA—s six-year program resolutions of support are due Oct. 31 and that the TransAction update RFP is on the street.