At the November 2023 meeting, the TPB reviewed draft highway and transit targets, and received updates on the Enhanced Mobility Grant Program solicitation as well as the Visualize 2050 National Capital Region Transportation Plan.

Meeting agenda, materials, and recording

Chair’s Remarks

TPB Chair Reuben Collins noted that his final meeting as chair would be in December. Thanking members of the TPB, he recognized Neil Harris, Rodney Roberts, and Dennis Mitchell for their reelections in Maryland. Collins also congratulated Jeff McKay, TPB Vice Chair James Walkinshaw, Walter Alcorn, Rodney Lusk, Matt Letourneau, and State Senator David Marsden for their reelection.  

Collins stated that he will convene a nominating committee to bring forward a slate of candidates for the 2024 TPB chair and vice chair positions. The officers election will take place on December 20.

Recognition of John Lynch’s Retirement

Chair Collins recognized John Lynch, Northern Virginia District Administrator for the Virginia Department of Transportation, on his retirement and distinguished service to the TPB. Lynch has represented VDOT on the TPB since 2021 and has been with VDOT for over 25 years. Notable projects during Lynch’s career include the Fairfax County Parkway, Woodrow Wilson Bridge, the Springfield interchange, Route 29 in Gainesville, I-495 express lanes, and the I-95 express lanes. Lynch thanked members of the TPB, commenting, “It's been my pleasure to serve on this board and to serve the region for a couple of decades.”  
 

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

Transit and Highway Safety Targets

Eric Randall, TPB Principal Transportation Engineer and Janie Nham, TPB Planning Manager, presented draft regional targets for transit and highway safety. The targets will be brought to the TPB in December 2023 for approval. The 2020-2024 target setting is part of the MPO’s federally required performance-based planning and programming (PBPP). Transit targets apply to agencies that receive Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 funding: Metro, District DOT, Maryland Transit Administration, the Potomac & Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC), and MTA subsidiaries VanGO Transit, RideOn, and The Bus.

In addition to staff presentations on the regional highway and transit targets, WMATA presented its FY 2024 safety targets and performance for FY 2023. The targets are set for bus and rail.

Details about target setting, metrics used, and performance relative to last year’s targets are available in the Items 7 and 8 presentations on the November TPB meeting page (37:00 mark on the livestream).

2023 Enhanced Mobility Grant Program Update 

COG Transportation Operations Programs Director Nicholas Ramfos provided an update on the Enhanced Mobility Program solicitation for projects to support mobility for older adults and people with disabilities. The solicitation occurs on a biannual cycle, and the TPB will be asked to approve recommended projects at its December meeting.

The grants provide approximately $5 million a year with a 20 percent match requirement for capital expenditures such as vehicles and 50 percent for operating services. Services must originate and serve residents of the urbanized area. Ramfos reported that a record number of applications have been received—30 applications from 27 separate organizations including over 100 wheelchair-accessible vehicle requests.    

A selection committee chaired by District Councilmember Christina Henderson, along with representatives from the DC Department of General Services, Maryland Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and U.S. Aging selected the recommended projects. TPB staff will share the committee’s recommendations at the December 20 TPB board meeting. Following administrative actions and Federal Transit Administration approval, projects should begin by spring 2025 with earliest delivery of vehicles in summer 2025.       

Visualize 2050 Plan Update                            

Cristina Finch, TPB Transportation Planning Manager, updated TPB members on Visualize 2050, the National Capital Region Transportation Plan, which will be finalized in 2025. In February 2023, the Technical Inputs Solicitation segment of the Visualize plan update began, which was an opportunity to review all projects in the existing Visualize 2045 long-range transportation plan to determine whether the projects should be carried over to the Visualize 2050 plan. Through November 2023, public comment was welcomed on highway and transit projects in the current Visualize 2045 plan. Comments received by the TPB have been shared with local jurisdictions in the region and with staff representatives from DDOT, MDOT, and VDOT.

The TPB held state listening session in March 2023 and bi-monthly Q&A sessions in fall 2023. As of November 1, TPB staff has received 952 comments and 133 suggestions for new projects. The top three projects to receive comments are Op Lanes Maryland Phase 1, the new Long Bridge to be built between Virginia and DC, and I-270 innovative congestion management.

Next up for Visualize 2050 is a formal 30-day comment period in March 2024. The March comment period is an opportunity to review the regionally significant projects moving forward for inclusion in the MPO’s air quality conformity analysis.

The TPB will share information about the March 2024 public comment period in future meeting recaps and Visualize updates. The following schedule provides an overarching look at the three-year planning process.
 

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Committee and Director’s Report Highlights

TPB Technical Committee, TPB Community Advisory Committee, TPB Access for All Advisory Committee, Steering Committee, and Director’s reports are available on the November TPB meeting page.

Steering Committee and Director’s Report Highlights

Kanti Srikanth, TPB Staff Director, reported the following: 

• The TPB Steering Committee received comments on the State Carbon Reduction Program Strategies. All comments were forwarded to the District, Maryland, and Virginia departments of transportation.
   
• A Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) amendment was approved for the District DOT to use Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding for traffic signal maintenance and to add HSIP funding to the Traffic Safety Input Program.
   
• TIP amendments were approved for additional funding for the Transitway Enhancements – Duke at Quaker projects and to add Northern Virginia Transportation Authority funding to the Dulles West Boulevard Phase II project.
   
• The COG/TPB website now includes two ways to learn more about the Transportation Land-Use Connections and Regional Roadway Safety Program projects. The website has a new Local Technical Assistance Programs Searchable Database and the November 2, 2023, Vibrant Communities webinar featured recently funded projects.  
   
• The Director’s Report includes an update on discussion and recent action related to WMATA funding discussions. Full details are available in the agenda’s Item 5 memo.
   

NEXT MEETING

The next TPB meeting is scheduled for December 20 at 12:00 P.M. A YouTube livestream option is available for all TPB board meetings.

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