Plan RVA outlines long-range plan midpoint, pilot to make project prioritization more transparent

Plan RVA told attendees at the joint annual meeting that the region is at the midpoint of its long-range transportation plan and will continue public engagement through March ahead of an expected policy-board approval next September.

Martha, identified in remarks as Plan RVA's executive director, said staff are finalizing the universe of candidate projects and working on project prioritization with a steering committee. She said the TPO's transportation-safety threshold was recently set to reduce deaths and serious injuries below projected natural growth, and called safety a top regional priority.

Martha also announced that Plan RVA was selected for a federal project-prioritization pilot intended to bring greater transparency to how projects are ranked and funded. She said staff have contracted for the pilot and plan to enhance the transportation demand model to evaluate roadway investments on environmental, housing, economic and congestion metrics and to publish the analyses publicly so residents can see how ROI calculations influence project selection.

The presentation emphasized community engagement opportunities, including a public comment period for the natural-resources and climate action plans and future public outreach tied to the long-range plan. Martha encouraged attendees to visit engage.planrva.org for materials and to participate in upcoming engagement opportunities.

The meeting transcript does not include the pilot contract name or the federal program's formal citation, nor does it provide a detailed timeline or budget for the modeling work; staff said the pilot should begin in the new calendar year.