News and Views

VBT : What has SMART SCALE taught us?

Currently $8.6 billion of transportation funding has been requested through the SMART SCALE process for projects around the Commonwealth, however only $1 billion is available. That’ s a deficit of $7.6 billion.

In 2016, 158 transportation projects requested through SMART SCALE could not move forward in the Commonwealth due to a lack of funding. The inability to fund these identified needs hurts our overall transportation system.

SMART SCALE has confirmed what we have already known - more funding is needed to keep the Commonwealth moving forward!

What is SMART SCALE?

The Commonwealth’s SMART SCALE is an objective data-driven process that scores transportation projects based on merit, and the value for taxpayer dollars. It became law under HB2 in 2014. It allows the transportation funding process to be more transparent and efficient by investing in the projects that meet the most critical transportation needs in the Commonwealth. Virginia is currently facing a multi-billion-dollar funding shortfall. With the needs far outweighing the available funding, a deliberative and pragmatic process like SMART SCALE is imperative to ensure the limited funds go to priority projects. The SMART SCALE process benefits all Virginians because it has empowered localities to submit proposed transportation projects based on objective measures. 

What happened in the first round of SMART SCALE?

In 2016, there were 321 project applications originally submitted for consideration for the first round of SMART SCALE. After careful consideration by the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), funding was approved in June 2016 to build 163 of these projects. This left 158 transportation projects unfunded.

To break that down a little more by region, in Richmond 16 out of 39 projects did not get approved for funding; for Salem 20 out of 39 projects did not get approved; Hampton Roads had 18 out of 40 projects that did not receive funding; and 26 out of 45 projects didn’t make the cut in Northern Virginia. Below are few examples of these unfunded projects:

• Richmond: Major Rehabilitation of US 1/301 Bridge over James River - $23.26 million

• Salem: Interchange Lighting at I-81 Exits 127 – 150 - $8.4 million

• Hampton Roads: I-64 East – Northampton to I-264 – Reconfiguration - $2.55 million

• Northern Virginia: DASH (Alexandria Transit Company) Technology - $1.56 million

(The real-time status of project development can be monitored by going to the new SMART SCALE Dashboard)

What about round two?

The second round of projects scored in the SMART SCALE prioritization process was released in January 2017. More than 400 project applications were submitted by localities, metropolitan organizations and other regional entities across the state and have been scored based on vital factors: improvements to safety, congestion reduction, accessibility to jobs and businesses, economic development, land use and the environment. The total cost for these projects is approximately $8.6 billion. However, approximately $1 billion is available. That is a deficit of $7.6 billion.

Many of these needed transportation construction projects and others across the state will not be funded this year because there is simply not enough money.  The CTB is now reviewing the projects and will release a draft of projects for funding this spring for public evaluation.

In June, the second round of projects will be chosen and added to the Six-Year Improvement Program. Once projects are in the Program, they will be completely funded through construction completion. Below are few examples of scoring results of Round 2 for the top projects up for consideration and related to congestion mitigation, safety and economic development.



Learn more about SMART SCALE and the Round 2 projects under consideration by the CTB by visiting http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/resources/2017/jan/pres/5_Smart_Scale_Scores.pdf.
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