Rural Transportation

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) allocates part of the State Planning and Research (SPR) funding to provide annual transportation planning assistance for non-urbanized areas within the Commonwealth. The Rural Transportation Planning Assistance Program (RTPAP) was created to aid the State in fulfilling the requirements of the State Planning Process to address the transportation needs of non-metropolitan areas. Funds appropriated under 23 U.S.C. 307(c) (SPR funds) are used in cooperation with the Department of Transportation, Commonwealth of Virginia for transportation planning as required by Section 135, Title 23, U.S. Code. These Federal funds provide 80 percent funding and require a 20 percent local match.

The Scope of Work may also include activities or studies addressing other transportation planning related issues that may be of specific interest to the region. The criteria for the determination of eligibility of studies for inclusion as part of this work program are based upon 23 U.S.C. 307 (c), State Planning and Research

The System for Managing and Allocating Resources for Transportation: Safety, Congestion, Accessibility, Land Use, Environment, and Economic Development, or SMART SCALE, is a statewide project prioritization process developed in 2014 by the General Assembly and administered through the Transportation Secretariat. Innovations of SMART SCALE include competitive prioritization and scoring systems, more transparency in the project selection and scoring processes, and a full-funding policy for projects within a six-year period.