Statewide Planning & Programming
Virginia’s Transportation Plan (VTrans)
VTrans is Virginia’s multimodal surface transportation plan. Pursuant to § 33.2-353, it is prepared for the Commonwealth Transportation Board by the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI).
VTrans conducts a comprehensive assessment of transportation needs and long-term risks and opportunities to guide Virginia’s transportation future. VTrans has the following four major components, symbolized by four pillars above.
1. Vision: The first critical piece is CTB’s vision, goals, and objectives. These goals and objectives inform the identification and prioritization of transportation needs.
2. Mid-term Planning: CTB has established a policy to identify and prioritize transportation needs, known as Mid-term Needs. The identified Mid-term Needs are used to screen funding applications for the SMART SCALE program and prioritize funding requests received for the VDOT’s Revenue Sharing Program. CTB has also established prioritized locations based on the identified Mid-term Needs. OIPI, VDOT, and DRPT, in collaboration with local and regional partners, develop solutions for Priority 1 and 2 locations.
3. Long-term Planning: CTB has also established a policy to develop and monitor a Long-term Risk & Opportunity Register which identifies uncertainties facing the transportation system into the future based on a trends analysis. The 2021 VTrans Risk & Opportunity Register has 19 items that require monitoring.
4. Strategic Actions: Finally, the fourth pillar is a set of strategic actions that are adopted by the CTB and guide OIPI, VDOT, and DRPT's business plans. The identified actions are monitored by OIPI.
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
The STIP is Virginia’s federally required four-year program that identifies the projects (highways, passenger rail, freight, public transit, bicycle and pedestrian) that will use Federal Transportation Funding. The STIP must reflect projects identified in each MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
Six Year Improvement Program
The SYIP outlines planned spending for Virginia’s transportation projects proposed for design, right-of-way or construction in the next six years.