Arlington Seeks $115.6M To Fund 13 Transportation Improvement Projects

ARLINGTON, VA — Northern Virginia residents have until May 17 to weigh in on 27 transportation projects under consideration by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority as part of its FY2026-2031 Six Year Program.

The public comment period opened Thursday and covers candidate projects that include bus transit, rail, roadway enhancements, technology, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and intersection and interchange improvements.

Arlington County requested a total $115.64 million from NVTA in order to fund 13 transportation projects:

• $5 million: Arlington Memorial Trail Bike and Pedestrian Improvements
• $36 million: South George Mason Drive Multimodal Improvements
• $8.5 million: South George Mason Drive and South Four Mile Run Drive Improvements
• $10 million: North Glebe Roard at I-66 WB Off-Ramp Intersection Improvements
• $10 million: South Glebe Road and West Glebe Road Intersection Improvements
• $11.6 million: Court House Metro Station Access Improvements
• $2.5 million: Next Generation Bus Rider Info
• $15 million: Arlington Boulevard Trail
• $3 million: South Glebe Road and 7th Street South Intersection Improvements
• $5 million: North Glebe Road at Quincy Street / Henderson Road Intersection Improvements
• $4.8 million: Performance Parking Initiative Phases 2 and 3
• $2.4 million: Custis Trail Widening and Modernization
• $2 million: Eads Street Multimodal Improvements

The Six Year Program process began in spring 2025, when NVTA invited project applicants across Northern Virginia to apply for Regional Revenue funding consideration. The process includes application, verification, evaluation, public engagement, recommendations, and adoption. NVTA said the anticipated Authority adoption of the FY2026-2031 Six Year Program is scheduled for July 2026.

According to NVTA, 27 eligible applications were received from eight member jurisdictions, with a total request of $1,265,831,274. During the evaluation phase, which ran from October 2025 through March 2026, NVTA staff conducted reviews of each application and prepared summaries of quantitative and qualitative evaluations. The authority said committee meetings tied to the process are open to the public.

NVTA said all eligible projects are evaluated using three legally mandated quantitative measures. Under Virginia law, the authority is required to give priority to projects that achieve the greatest Congestion Reduction Relative to Cost, or CRRC. The other quantitative measures listed by NVTA are TransAction project ratings and Long Term Benefit.

The authority also reviews projects using qualitative factors, including project continuation, funding gap, committed external funding, past performance, project readiness, local priority, and geographic and modal balance. According to NVTA, candidate projects submitted for funding must be included in TransAction, its long-range transportation plan for Northern Virginia, and must be endorsed by the applicant's governing body. Projects in multiple jurisdictions require resolutions from all jurisdictions.

The current funding cycle uses 70 percent Regional Revenues from FY2030 and FY2031. NVTA said its Finance Committee will make a recommendation to the Authority on revenue projections and PayGo in spring 2026. More information on candidate projects, evaluations, and comment options is available through the NVTA's FY2026-2031 Six Year Program materials.

The authority said comments may be submitted online, by mail, or by voicemail at 703-947-7606. A public hearing is also scheduled for May 14 during the May Authority meeting, when speakers may address Authority members in person or virtually for three minutes. Registration is required in order to speak during the public hearing. According to NVTA, all public comments received will be recorded.