A. The Department of Transportation, in ongoing coordination with the Commonwealth Transportation Board, the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, shall evaluate all significant transportation projects, including highway, mass transit, and technology projects, in and near the Northern Virginia Transportation District, to the extent that funds are available for such purpose. The evaluation shall provide an objective, quantitative rating for each project according to the degree to which the project is expected to reduce congestion and, to the extent feasible, the degree to which the project is expected to improve regional mobility in the event of a homeland security emergency. Such evaluation shall rely on analytical techniques and transportation modeling, including those that employ computer simulations currently and customarily employed in transportation planning. The Department of Transportation may rely on the results of transportation modeling performed by other entities, including the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and private entities contracted for this purpose, provided that such modeling is in accordance with this section. The Department of Transportation shall publicize the quantitative ratings determined for each project on its website and complete the evaluation at least once every four years, with interim progress reports provided on the website at least once every six months starting January 1, 2013.
B. In determining the allocation of highway construction funding in the Northern Virginia Transportation District, the Board shall, in ongoing coordination with the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, give priority to projects that most effectively reduce congestion in the most congested corridors and intersections. However, nothing in this section shall limit the ability of the Board to consider other criteria, including the performance-based criteria set forth in § 33.2-2508.
C. Nothing in this section shall be construed or implied to direct funding to the Northern Virginia Transportation District from another transportation district.
D. For purposes of this section, the significant transportation projects to be evaluated shall comprise at least 25 such projects selected according to priorities determined by the Board, in ongoing coordination with the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, without regard to the funding source of the project, and may include:
1. Projects included in the version of the Financially Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board in effect when the evaluation is made, plus additional projects in the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority’s TransAction 2030 Regional Transportation Plan and subsequent updates; and
2. Other highway, rail, bus, and technology projects that could make a significant impact on mobility in the region, including additional Potomac River crossings west and south of Washington, D.C.; extension of the Metro Orange Line, Metro Yellow Line, and Metro Blue Line; bus rapid transit on Interstate 66; vehicle capacity and mass transit improvements on the U.S. Route 1 corridor; and implementation of relevant portions of the Statewide Transportation Plan established pursuant to § 33.2-353.
History
2012, cc. 768, 825, § 33.1-13.03:1; 2014, c. 805.
