AGENDA DATE: 6/3/2026
TITLE:
Transportation Project Prioritization
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Board review and approval of the rankings in the Albemarle County Transportation Projects List.
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Wall, Svoboda, Barnes, McDermott, Swartzendruber, Dimmick
PRESENTER (S): Jessica Dimmick
LEGAL REVIEW: Not Required
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: Albemarle County has undertaken multiple transportation project prioritization efforts to help inform the selection of projects for development and funding applications.
In October 2023, the Board of Supervisors reviewed the results of the most recent update during a work session, but ultimately did not approve the ranked list of projects due to work on AC44.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Infrastructure & Placemaking - Invest in infrastructure and amenities that create connection, opportunity, and well-being
DISCUSSION: Over the past four months, County staff have been working to update the Albemarle County Transportation Project List and revisit the prioritization methodology. The purpose of this prioritization effort is to produce a ranked project list within a relatively short timeframe using readily available data and resources, without a large-scale overhaul of the methodology developed in 2023. Attachment A is a more thorough report of this process. A comprehensive remodeling of the methodology will occur after the Multimodal Transportation Plan is completed.
The Albemarle County Transportation Project List (i.e., “Project List”) includes all major transportation projects recommended through any planning process in which Albemarle County has participated. These planning processes include the AC44 Comprehensive Plan, Area Master Plans, Small Area Plans, corridor studies, and other transportation plans, including bicycle and pedestrian plans and greenway plans.
The 2026 Project List includes 169 transportation projects, as shown in the maps in Attachment B. Information about each project is provided in Attachment C.
County staff evaluated each project using a scoring methodology similar to the 2023 effort, drawing on readily available data and simple GIS and visual evaluation techniques. The details of the scoring methodology, including the individual assignment of points and sources of data, are provided in Attachment D.
Attachments E (Map Series of Priority Project Rankings) and F (Ranked List) show the ranked results of the project prioritization.
Staff are requesting feedback on the project rankings, including ideas for potential changes to the methodology for consideration during the anticipated comprehensive overhaul of the prioritization methodology upon completion of the Multimodal Transportation Plan.
BUDGET IMPACT: The discussion will have no direct impact on the County budget. However, it will be used to identify potential uses for funding previously earmarked for use on transportation projects through the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Transportation Leveraging program and may lead to projects being submitted for grants and other funding programs available for State and Federal funds. These budget impacts will be addressed in future Board decisions where support will be requested to expend funds for these projects.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommend that the Board review and approve the project rankings as presented in Attachment F, which will inform project selection for project development and funding applications over the near term while development of the Multimodal Transportation Plan is underway.
ATTACHMENTS:
A - Transportation Project Prioritization Report
B - Map Series of All Projects
C - Albemarle County Transportation Project List by Project ID, with project descriptions and detailed scoring results
D - Scoring Methodology
E - Map Series of Priority Project Rankings
F - Draft 2026 Albemarle County Priority Transportation Project List, ranked by project category and stage of readiness