Va. transportation board approves nearly $1 billion in funding for SMART SCALE projects

Virginia awarded $983.6 million to 53 applicants in the sixth iteration of the competitive SMART SCALE process to help improve transportation across the commonwealth.

On Wednesday, the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the transportation and infrastructure projects that were recommended for approval by staff, after weighing 270 applications and making significant changes to the program last year.

Localities and planning districts submit their project applications every two and half years in the SMART SCALE process, and the state scores them using a funding formula to identify their transportation needs compared to other applications. The state considers how projects improve safety, reduce congestion and contribute to economic development, among other factors, when weighing the proposed projects.

Some localities had already expressed opposition to the projects staff recommended for the green light including leaders in Fairfax County, who submitted three applications for projects that ranked low in priority compared to other projects and are unlikely to get state funding allocated through the SMART SCALE process.The Fairfax Board of Supervisors expressed their concern in a recent letter to Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller.

Miller said the board will continue to listen to local leaders and analyze the concerns again in the future.

“At the end of the day, we just want to get it right, and of course, there’s no right, no 100% right. It’s a judgement system,” said Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller. “We’re judging how these projects return value to the commonwealth.” 

Not all of Virginia’s districts received district funding grants, which are only open to certain localities. The districts that failed to receive any district funding grants are Culpeper, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg and Salem. Lynchburg also failed to acquire any funding from the High-Priority Projects Program, which puts projects in competition with others from across the commonwealth.

Board member Raymond Smoot, who represents part of Southwest Virginia, raised concerns about the districts which did not receive any district funding grants. While Smoot acknowledged that applications that didn’t make the cut may not have met the level of need of other districts, he questioned whether the funding formula appropriately measured the needs within the four districts.

“Now that’s all, in my view, water over the dam; but looking ahead to round seven … I think we need to keep these perspectives before us and see what, if any, changes we need to make in round seven that would perhaps reduce a different result,” Smoot said. “But I think this has gone well, and I appreciate all the work that has been done on it, and I just think we need to keep this in mind for future reference.”

In January 2024, the board made several changes to the funding process after its review of SMART SCALE, established in 2014. The tweaks included requiring public bodies applying for funds to calculate traffic congestion for seven years in the future, adjusting the weight given in calculations to safety, congestion and accessibility, and keeping existing application caps in place.

The changes concerned some localities, who said the modifications reduced state funding for smaller transportation projects for cyclists and pedestrians while favoring larger projects.

The board voted on the awards and agreed to suspend any action on Alexandria’s project application, designed to improve safety at two intersections: Duke Street and South Henry Street, and Duke Street and South Patrick Street. 

According to Alexandria leaders, the city’s funding request came after it documented over 70 crashes at the two intersections since 2014. Of those, four crashes resulted in severe injury and more than 20 resulted in non-life-threatening injuries. 

Miller stated that the agency did not inform Alexandria that its project wouldn’t be funded until after it had already been included in the staff recommendations drawn up before the board’s action Wednesday. During Tuesday’s work session, staff explained that the city’s project remains unfunded due to Alexandria’s lack of improvement in performance compared to other city projects the state has funded.

Alexandria’s project could be amended as early as January after the agency speaks with city leaders, Miller said.

“We need to ensure that we communicate better than we have in this case,” Miller said. “Whether that’s in Culpeper or whether it’s in wherever … we need to make sure we have those conversations so people aren’t surprised.”

Board member D.J. Gribbin, representing the Northern Virginia District, joined Miller during Tuesday’s work session, expressing support for holding localities accountable for completing projects after they receive SMART SCALE funding. Loudoun County proved accountability measures are necessary, Gribbin said, pointing to the county’s plan to swap out its Cascades Pkwy Bike & Pedestrian project from Church Road to Victoria Station Drive for a Route 15 roundabout project, since Loudoun’s annual performance review of administering five or more projects has improved.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will administer the roundabout project.

“I think having accountability is key,” Gribbin said. “I also want to thank VDOT and the team for working with Loudoun County to help them get over the hump, so we can get one of these projects up and going. This is a really good combination of being accountable, but also being flexible (and) working with counties that are trying hard.”

In addition to Alexandria’s project, other projects that were not funded include the Little Creek Road Bicycle Improvements project in Norfolk and the Waynesboro Transit Access Project in Waynesboro.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Loudoun’s annual performance review of administering five or more projects has not improved.