Transportation



Transportation Menu Over the last 60 years, America has built one of the world's largest highway networks; however, the same effort hasn't gone into completing a system that works as well for walking, wheeling, or taking transit in most communities.* The objective of transportation is to allow people and goods to effectively move from one destination to another. People need the ability to travel from where they live to: work, run errands, explore, and reach health care services. Business owners need access to: major highways, airports, class 1 rail, and inland and sea ports to move goods.

The New River Valley Planning District Commission (PDC) provides transportation planning assistance across the region. Through a partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation, the PDC manages an annual Rural Work Program that is guided by a multijurisdictional Transportation Technical Advisory Committee. The Rural Work Program enables the PDC to conduct local transportation studies, prepare regional planning documents, participate in statewide planning efforts, recommend regional priorities, and provide grant writing assistance. The image (shown top-right) is an example of a "transportation menu" that enabled stakeholders to discuss potential transportation improvements in their community. Typical services the PDC specializes in include:

Transportation Planning Local Technical Assistance
  • Conceptual Corridor Plans
  • Grant Writing
  • Evaluating Access Management
  • Contract Administration
  • Developing Land Use Sketch Plans
  • Preparing a Memorandum of Understanding
  • Identifying Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements
  • Preparing a Request for Proposal
  • Identifying Transit Improvements
  • Environmental Assessments
  • Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis
  • Comprehensive Plan Updates
  • Developing Needs Assessments
  


MPO and Rural Planning Area

The Rural Work Program is geared towards communities located outside of the Metropolitan Planning Organization's (MPO) urbanized boundary. The map (shown left) highlights the communities in the New River Valley that are eligible for rural planning assistance. Although there are different responsibilities for each organization, the region’s PDC and MPO are active partners in transportation planning.

Explore the transportation links to view previous planning efforts, upcoming committee meetings, and to get involved with current projects.




* U. S. Department of Transportation. Livability in Transportation Guidebook, FHWA-HEP-10-028. Prepared by ICF International, 2222 East NC-54, Suite 480, Durham, NC 27713