It’s the Weight that Matters Most

As originally drafted, the intent of legislation (HB 2) creating Virginia’s the new transportation prioritization program was to focus more state resources on reducing Northern Virginia’s traffic congestion.

However, as ultimately adopted, HB 2 expanded the project selection criteria to include accessibility, safety, environmental quality, and land use.

The more criteria that must be considered, the more points (out of 100) that will be assigned to other factors and the fewer that will be assigned to congestion reduction.

The question is, will the Commonwealth Transportation Board assign 60 points to congestion reduction as recommended by the Alliance and nearly 20 other major private sector organizations, or only 35 points and twice as many points to “everything else” as currently done by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority?

Early testing has already proven the HB 2 process, which follows the Authority’s overly complex approach, to be too unwieldy to implement statewide without significant changes.

As evidenced by the Authority’s recently adopted two-year project list, the more weight assigned to other measures like land use, environment and safety, the less likely selected projects will be those that most reduce our regional congestion.

To send a message to the CTB to assign a weight of 60% or more to congestion reduction, click here.

Serious Congestion Relief for Northern Virginia Requires Awarding Congestion Reduction
60 Points or More