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Regional multimodal plan, $250,000 technical-aid award aim to boost Lynchburg transit and 12th Street revitalization
Summary
A PDC presentation outlined a data-driven multimodal network to improve bicycle, pedestrian and transit connections in Lynchburg and described a Thriving Communities award (about $250,000 in technical assistance plus $50,000 in cash) focused on a 12th Street corridor redevelopment and a grant playbook.
A Planning District Commission presenter described a draft multimodal plan and a related federal technical-assistance award designed to improve Lynchburg’s transportation choices and support redevelopment along 12th Street.
The PDC presenter said the multimodal study — funded through DRPT, VDOT, FHWA and FTA programs and developed with a GIS-based analysis of connectivity, demand and access — identifies primary corridors for long-term bicycle and pedestrian ‘spine’ connections, secondary bicycle connectors, and neighborhood pedestrian fill-ins. The presenter noted that the draft plan will be available for staff review within the week.
The PDC also described winning a Thriving Communities award, one of 52 nationally and one of two in Virginia, that provides about $250,000 in three years of consultant technical assistance plus a direct $50,000 cash award. Projects from the award include a 12th Street corridor revitalization roadmap, policy work to inform transit-oriented development, and engineering design funding to advance a multi-block stretch of 12th Street from Pope to Keer.
Why it matters: the plan and award are intended to connect neighborhoods, schools and the transit system; staff emphasized that the PDC-led work was coordinated with Lynchburg city staff and Greater Lynchburg Transit Company partners and did not require direct city capital from the plan’s grant funds. The 12th Street design funding is intended to leverage planned city infrastructure work and reduce the up-front engineering costs that often delay implementation.
Council members praised the emphasis on safety and traffic calming near schools and the presenter fielded questions about pedestrian refuges, bulb-outs and context-sensitive design. The PDC noted stakeholders included the Lynchburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority and local institutions. The committee did not take a vote; staff said the draft will return for further review and public discussion as the project develops.
