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It’s a milestone with regional impacts that happens once every five years.

Northern Virginia, December 8, 2022 – On the evening of December 8th, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) adopted the updated long-range transportation plan for Northern Virginia, TransAction. This update occurs every five years, addressing regional transportation needs through 2045. TransAction is used to evaluate potential region-wide impacts of numerous projects, including transit, bike and pedestrian, roadway, transportation technologies, and more. With the TransAction Update adoption, the NVTA continues to build momentum to keep a uniquely connected region moving.

TransAction includes a plan document and associated list of 424 transportation projects identified to reduce traffic congestion and improve travel throughout the region. TransAction outlines an array of projects that represent options for how Northern Virginia can achieve its transportation vision and goals of enhancing mobility, increasing accessibility and improving resiliency.

New to this TransAction Update is the inclusion of a seamlessly connected Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system across NoVA. The vision for this regional BRT system is that it will bridge the gap between the region’s backbone rail network (Metrorail and Virginia Railway Express) and the many local and commuter bus services provided throughout Northern Virginia, providing commuters with new and meaningful travel choices. Such a system could reduce traffic congestion, increase access to jobs, reduce (and possibly reverse) dependency on driving alone, increase transit ridership, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

When looking out to 2045, the population of Northern Virginia is projected to grow by 23% to 3.14 million, and employment by 33% to 1.94 million. This makes investments in a multimodal transportation network essential, as no single project, program, policy or mode will address all the region’s transportation needs. Without significant investment in transportation, traffic congestion, delay and accessibility will continue to worsen through 2045, reducing quality of life in Northern Virginia.

How TransAction Will Benefit the Region:

• Enhances Mobility – The combined effects of the multimodal investments in TransAction are projected to decrease person-hours of delay by 19% and reduce the duration of severe congestion by 29%. TransAction also addresses gaps in the current transportation system for roads, transit and trails.
• Increases Accessibility –TransAction creates a multimodal transportation network that is more accessible, providing an 18% increase in the jobs that can be reached within a reasonable commute across all modes, whether via transit, roadway or bike. Accessibility gains are even greater (22%) for underserved communities, which can benefit significantly from having additional travel choices.
• Improves Resiliency – TransAction provides a continued emphasis on safety. TransAction also includes significant alternatives to driving in single-occupancy vehicles. The two most common ways to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions are less driving and use of low/Zero Emission Vehicles. TransAction supports both.

Read more about the ways the region will benefit from the adoption of the TransAction Update, here.  

It takes a region. The 424 candidate regional projects and programs identified in TransAction would cost an estimated $75 billion if implemented, exceeding the NVTA’s expected funding available through 2045. Some projects within TransAction expand beyond NoVA, which are not eligible to receive NVTA regional revenues. Other sources, including federal, state, local and private dollars, may be available to help close the funding gap. Regional collaboration and the ability to work beyond jurisdictional lines is key to getting people to their destinations faster and spending less time stuck in traffic.

TransAction is not the end of the planning process. Inclusion of projects in TransAction does not represent a funding commitment. Inclusion of projects in TransAction does provide an initial eligibility filter for projects located in NoVA that may eventually be considered for NVTA’s regional revenues as part of NVTA’s separate funding process, the Six Year Program.

For more information about the adopted TransAction Plan and TransAction Project List, as well as previous public participation opportunities as part of the update process, please visit nvtatransaction.org/resources.

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The NVTA was created by the General Assembly on July 1, 2002, to offer a common voice for Northern Virginia on transportation issues confronting the region. The Authority is made up of nine jurisdictions including: the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William; as well as the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. The Authority is responsible for updating Northern Virginia’s long-range transportation plan, TransAction, and since 2014 manages approximately $365 million annually in public funds for transportation projects designed to provide congestion relief throughout Northern Virginia. For more information visit thenovaauthority.org.

Participate in an opportunity that comes once every five years.

Northern Virginia, August 1, 2022 – The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) is seeking public input on Northern Virginia’s long-range transportation plan, TransAction, with goals to enhance mobility, increase accessibility and improve resiliency by planning for an equitable, sustainable and safe multimodal transportation network. The draft TransAction Plan, which is updated every five years, addresses regional transportation needs through 2045, by which the population in Northern Virginia is projected to grow by 23% and employment by 33%. The TransAction Plan, comprised of 429 candidate transportation projects totaling more than $75 billion, identifies potential investments to meet the growing needs for travel throughout the region, expanding beyond Northern Virginia.

Now is the public’s opportunity to provide NVTA with feedback on the region’s transportation future, including a proposed regional Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network, a range of technologies including progress towards vehicle electrification, and programs to encourage alternative modes of transportation, to name a few. TransAction recognizes Northern Virginians and others in the region regularly travel across jurisdictional boundaries to reach their destinations, including southern parts of Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maryland. Feedback from the public who travel in the region is an important part of this TransAction update process.

The TransAction Public Comment Period begins on Monday, August 1, 2022, ending at 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 18, 2022. During this time, NVTA will host a TransAction Public Hearing on Thursday, September 8, 2022 at 7 p.m. ET, just prior to the Authority’s regularly scheduled business meeting.

The draft TransAction Plan document summarizing travel conditions, challenges and opportunities through 2045, and a draft TransAction Project List, are available for public comment at nvtatransaction.org/participate. To view materials in person, please contact NVTA at 703-642-4652 to set up an appointment with NVTA staff. The TransAction draft plan and online comment form are available in three languages: English, Spanish and Korean.

The public is invited to provide one comment submission per person via one of the following mediums:

• Online form: nvtatransaction.org/participate
• Voicemail: 571-354-0065
• Mail: Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, 3040 Williams Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22031
• Public Hearing: Remote via Zoom, or NVTA’s Offices, 3040 Williams Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22031, on September 8, 2022 at 7 p.m. ET

*When providing comment, the public is asked to provide their first and last name, email address, zip code and feedback on the TransAction Plan. If also commenting on the project list, please provide the project ID and/or project name.

During the TransAction Public Hearing, both remote and in-person opportunities will be offered for the public to provide comment. Due to pandemic concerns, it is strongly encouraged for testimony to be provided remotely or comments submitted in advance via the online comment form, available at nvtatransaction.org/participate.

The public must sign up in advance to provide live testimony during the Public Hearing on September 8, 2022, in one of the following three ways:

• Registration form: Fill out this forms.gle/sgp33RyRcGtTxFRn7. – Pre-Registration Deadline: September 6, 2022 at 5 p.m. ET
• Phone: 703-642-4652 – Pre-Registration Deadline: September 6, 2022 at 5 p.m. ET
• In-person Walk-Ins: NVTA’s Offices on September 8, 2022, Sign-in from 6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET: 3040 Williams Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22031
  *Advanced registration by September 6th preferred

The NVTA was created by the General Assembly on July 1, 2002, to offer a common voice for Northern Virginia on transportation issues confronting the region. The Authority is made up of nine jurisdictions including: the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William; as well as the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. The Authority is responsible for updating Northern Virginia’s long-range transportation plan, TransAction, and since 2014 manages approximately $365 million annually in public funds for transportation projects designed to provide congestion relief throughout Northern Virginia. For more information visit thenovaauthority.org.

The latest Northern Virginia Transportation Authority survey of Northern Virginia (NoVA) residents shows that the proportion of those who have ever worked from home shot up to 78 percent, from 61 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating the significant impact that the pandemic has had on travel in the region. These and other trends were captured in the fourth NVTA Transportation Perception Survey of more than 600 NoVA residents presented at the March 10th NVTA meeting. While the pandemic may have shifted results from past surveys, the findings continue to help capture residents’ attitudes and behaviors, and inform future analyses, public engagement efforts, and impacts from other potential disruptions. A summary of key findings from the survey is provided in Blog Series: TransAction At-a-Glance (Post #4).

The February 13, 2020 Authority business meeting kicked off with Keith Jasper, Principal, Transportation Planning and Programming, NVTA, and Dee Allsop, Ph.D., Founding Partner, Heart+Mind Strategies, presenting the results of NVTA’s 2019 Transportation Perception Survey, which tracks changes in transportation attitudes and priorities in the DMV region. The 616 survey respondents were age 18+ and residents of Northern Virginia, but employment locations included Virginia, Maryland and the District.

This latest survey builds upon previous surveys of transportation-related public perceptions/awareness conducted in 2015 and 2016, as part of NVTA’s long-range transportation plan, TransAction, update.

Findings include:

• Concern about traffic congestion on quality of life decreases to 26% (vs. 33% in 2016), and the focus turns to areas like housing. Although, reducing traffic congestion and improving transportation options to improve quality of life, still ranked the highest.
• Traffic congestion is also less influential when choosing where to live (17%) vs. where to work (42%).
  • Residents focus on essentials like safety, affordability, opportunity and ease of commuting when considering where to live or work. Social opportunities and walkable communities are secondary.
• Residents report their normal commute time is 3 minutes faster (since 2016); slight decline in number of residents who drive to work (62% in 2016 vs. 59% in 2019)
  • 30 minutes a normal commute for survey takers; fastest commute 21.7 minutes; max acceptable 36.8 minutes
• A majority now say the region is doing a mostly “good job” on key transportation priorities impacting quality of life (56% 2019; 51% 2016; 43% 2015)
• Among potential projects, new/extended Metro rail lines top the list for those surveyed. When asked how they’d prioritize investments, residents distribute most funds to roads and rail/transit.
• Residents describe self-driving cars as “scary,” “unsafe” or “dangerous,” with a smaller group also categorizing them as “good.”

The survey was conducted on NVTA’s behalf by an independent research company, Heart+Mind Strategies, in December 2019. The full results can be viewed here.