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Public commenters tell CVTA not to divert transit money to highway expansions
Summary
Public speakers at the Central Virginia Transportation Authority finance committee urged the authority to keep unallocated transit funds for transit projects — including a requested $13.5 million match for GRTC — and opposed redirecting them to highway widening or car-oriented projects.
Several public commenters urged the Central Virginia Transportation Authority finance committee to preserve unallocated transit funds for transit projects and to avoid spending them on highway expansion.
"Don't put any more money into this project until it's either altered so that it aligns with community goals," said a public commenter who identified himself during the meeting as Mister Finley, urging the authority to pause work on the Chaco/Shaco Valley Streets improvement project. He told the committee, "we ask that you not put any more, good money chasing after bad money."
Kevin Cianfarini, a Richmond resident and co‑lead with Climate Change Makers RVA, said he "strongly oppose[d] redirecting any unallocated transit funding towards road and highway expansion projects like the Shaco Valley Streets project or the Poet Parkway expansion project." He said midday GRTC buses are already crowded and asked the CVTA to "fund the full $13,500,000 match for GRTC's BUILD grant."
Richard Romero, a resident and former transportation committee member, described safety concerns on 17th Street and warned that adding travel lanes could take housing and prioritize cars over pedestrians and bicyclists. "Please prioritize pedestrians and people on bikes and not highways," he said.
Chris Curtis of Midlothian (Chesterfield County) said he had lived in Utah and observed that continuous highway expansion did not solve congestion, and argued the region should pursue frequent, reliable regional transit instead. "I'm urging you to please ensure that funding allocated for transit actually benefits transit riders, by funding the full match of the $13 for GRTC's build grant," he said.
Why it matters: Public comments came at the start of the committee meeting and focused attention on how the CVTA will treat unallocated Round 4 funds. Multiple commenters asked the authority to prioritize transit investments and cited specific funding and projects that would be affected if funds were reallocated.
The committee did not make an immediate funding decision in response to public comment; discussion of unallocated funds and staff options followed later in the agenda and was deferred for further consideration at a specially called finance committee meeting.
