SMART SCALE (Virginia)

SMART SCALE (Virginia)
Name	SMART SCALE
Jurisdiction	Commonwealth of Virginia
Established	2014
Administered by	Virginia Department of Transportation
Purpose	Transportation project prioritization

SMART SCALE (Virginia)

SMART SCALE is the acronym for Virginia’s quantitative project prioritization program used to allocate transportation funding across the Commonwealth. It was developed after legislation enacted in the Commonwealth of Virginia executive and legislative processes to replace subjective prioritization with data-driven scoring administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation and overseen by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The program ties project selection to measurable outcomes such as congestion reduction, safety improvements, economic development, and environmental quality, aligning with goals set by the Virginia General Assembly and state planning documents.

Background and Purpose

SMART SCALE grew from initiatives emerging after the passage of the HB 2 (2014) legislative framework and subsequent statutes in the Virginia General Assembly aimed at improving transparency in transportation investment. It sought to operationalize priorities defined in regional plans such as the Metropolitan Planning Organization studies produced by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization. The program was influenced by national practices found in analyses by the Federal Highway Administration, comparative frameworks used by the Texas Department of Transportation, and recommendations from independent bodies like the National Academy of Sciences and the Virginia Transportation Research Council.

Governance and Scoring Methodology

Administration of SMART SCALE rests with the Virginia Department of Transportation working in coordination with the Commonwealth Transportation Board, the Secretary of Transportation (Virginia), and regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations. The scoring methodology assigns numeric values across criteria categories including congestion mitigation, accessibility, safety, environmental quality, and economic development. Inputs derive from datasets maintained by the Virginia Geographic Information Network, crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, travel demand models used by regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and fiscal projections aligned with the Financial Plan of the Commonwealth. Independent review has involved entities such as the Auditor of Public Accounts (Virginia) and technical panels convened by the Virginia Transportation Research Council.

Project Categories and Eligibility

Eligible projects under SMART SCALE include roadway improvements, transit capital, multimodal facilities, and active transportation initiatives. Project categories reflect statutory language from the Virginia General Assembly and guidance provided by the Commonwealth Transportation Board and accommodate investments tied to major corridors like Interstate 95, U.S. Route 1, and regional transit systems such as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the Hampton Roads Transit. Localities submit candidate projects through their Metropolitan Planning Organizations or Rural Transportation Technical Committees with cost estimates, performance measures, and consistency checks against plans from entities such as the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Port of Virginia planning documents.

Funding and Prioritization Process

Funding rounds under SMART SCALE correspond with the Commonwealth’s Six-Year Improvement Program cycles administered by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Project prioritization uses a formulaic combination of score weighting and regional equity considerations informed by legislation such as HB 2313 (2013). The process integrates fiscal constraints from the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget and capital forecasting by the Virginia Public-Private Partnership Authority where applicable. Once scored, projects compete for discretionary and formula funds drawn from sources including the Transportation Trust Fund (Virginia), federal-aid programs administered through the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, and state-maintained revenue streams overseen by the Treasurer of Virginia.

Implementation and Outcomes

Implementation of SMART SCALE-funded projects is coordinated by the Virginia Department of Transportation and executed with contractors procured under procurement rules influenced by cases such as decisions from the Supreme Court of Virginia on public contracting. Outcomes tracked include reductions in crash rates reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, travel time savings measured against models maintained by regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and economic indicators monitored by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. High-profile corridor upgrades and transit capital projects selected through SMART SCALE have been cited in reports by the Commonwealth Transportation Board and analyses by the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center.

Criticism and Revisions

Critics in localities, advocacy organizations such as Rails-to-Trails Conservancy affiliates, and academic commentators at institutions like the George Mason University and the Virginia Commonwealth University have argued that SMART SCALE’s reliance on model inputs can bias outcomes toward projects that favor certain corridors or project types. Legislative oversight from the Virginia General Assembly and audits by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission prompted revisions to weighting, data transparency, and appeals procedures managed by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Subsequent updates incorporated additional performance measures, stakeholder engagement protocols used by the Federal Transit Administration, and pilot adjustments reflected in guidance documents issued by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Category:Transportation in Virginia