NOTICE OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD AND HEARING FOR ROANOKE VALLEY TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS
The Roanoke Valley Transportation Planning Organization (RVTPO) seeks public input on transportation investments via the Surface Transportation Block Grant and Carbon Reduction Program(s). Please visit rvarc.org to participate. Comments will be accepted until Wednesday, February 14, 2024, hearing will be held at 1:00 pm on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at 313 Luck Avenue SW, Roanoke VA. For accommodations call (540) 343-4417 or email [email protected]. Hearing-impaired people call 711 for access. The RVTPO fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in all programs and activities.
Additional Information
The Roanoke Valley Transportation Planning Organization has a public comment period available regarding the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and Carbon Reduction Program (CRP). The funding programs require an application, review, and subsequent public comment process. The funding programs have helped to fund over 40 projects in projects Roanoke Valley. The annual program is underway, and this year, 10 projects are requesting additional funding or to be considered as candidate projects to receive their initial funding. We request your participation to help guide how these funds are best distributed for the projects that have applied for the funding program.
Please consider taking the survey and reviewing the additional information that can be found below.
What are the STBG and CRP funding programs?
- Surface Transportation Block Grant Program provides federal funding that may be used for a wide range of highway, transit, and other surface transportation projects. The funds are apportioned to large urban regions within a state.
- The Carbon Reduction Program provides federal funding that is used to reduce transportation emissions through the development of State carbon reduction strategies and funding programs designed to reduce transportation emissions.
What is SMART SCALE and its relation to STBG/CRP leverage?
Virginia’s SMART SCALE (§ 33.2-214.1.) is” to fund the right transportation projects through a prioritization process that evaluated each project’s merits using key factors, including improvements to safety, congestion reduction, accessibility, land use, economic development, and the environment. The evaluation focuses on the degree to which a project addresses a problem or need relative to the requested funding for the project. ”
Applicants are encouraged to identify additional funding sources, including local, regional, and other state/federal funds, to reduce the amount requested funding in the SMART SCALE process. The use of STBG/CRP funds as leverage in the SMART SCALE process can enhance overall project competitiveness relative to other projects.
Projects that are requesting leverage funding are on slide 3 of the survey. If a project is awarded STBG or CRP leverage funds but is not selected in the SMART SCALE process, the funds will go back into the balance entry for the STBG and CRP program.
