Northern Virginia Transportation Authority's

Authority Recap

November 2026

Authority members convened on Thursday, November 12, 2026, for their regular business meeting.

Discover meeting highlights below.

NVTA Launches New Community Perceptions Dashboard

During the Authority meeting, Starla Couso, Deputy Director of Transportation, NVTA, and Ethan Van Berkel, Regional Transportation Planner, NVTA presented a new Community Perceptions Dashboard to Authority members. The dashboard, created by NVTA staff, captures the public's perception of NoVA's transportation system, its performance, suggested improvement opportunities and residents' priorities for the future.

The dashboard centers largely around a public perception survey conducted between May 7 and June 1, where more than 1,000 NoVA residents and commuters participated. This marked the sixth perception survey conducted by NVTA dating back to 2015. The dashboard includes data from the past decade to show how public perception and priorities have shifted over the years as NVTA's work across the region takes shape.

View the Community Perceptions Dashboard

SMART SCALE/VTrans Presentation

As Northern Virginia's jurisdictions go through the process of submitting project applications for SMART SCALE funding over the next two years, Dr. Laura Schewel, Ph.D., Virginia Deputy Secretary of Transportation, briefed Authority members on the development process, how projects are evaluated and what goes into a project's ultimate selection for funding.

Dr. Schewel explained how VTrans and SMART SCALE work hand-in-hand to maximize the return on investment from limited state dollars. VTrans sets the guidelines for how the state tackles prioritization, investment and planning. SMART SCALE allocates funding to projects that score the highest across a wide variety of factors, including congestion reduction, cost and accessibility.

View SMART SCALE/VTrans Presentation

Transforming Rail: An Evolution for VRE and Virginia

As Virginia Railway Express (VRE) looks toward the future, Katie Choe, CEO, VRE, presented mid and long-term plans for growth, with targets in 2030 and 2050, respectively.

By 2030, VRE aims to complete several construction and redevelopment projects, including multiple funded by NVTA, such as Crystal City and Franconia-Springfield improvements.

By 2050, VRE aims to increase its number of daily trains by more than 300%, with trains heading toward Washington, DC every 20 minutes and outbound every 30 minutes during peak hours and every hour during off-peak and on weekends.

View VRE's Presentation

NVTA Earns Clean Audit for FY2026

Authority members accepted NVTA’s FY2026 Audited Financial Statements and Compliance Reports, which received a clean audit opinion, the highest level of assurance an independent auditor can provide. Conducted by PBMares, LLP, the audit confirms NVTA’s financial statements are presented fairly in all material respects and reflects the Authority’s sound financial position for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026. Michael Longhi, Chief Financial Officer, NVTA, and Michael Garber, CPA, Partner, PBMares, presented the reports.

A clean audit opinion provides assurance to taxpayers and holders of NVTA’s bonds that:

◆ NVTA’s statements are presented in accordance with National and State requirements.

◆ NVTA’s $4.46B in funding commitments are professionally managed.

◆ NVTA properly disbursed $143M to NoVA localities to support their individual transportation priorities in FY2026.

View the Financial and Compliance Reports

NVTA Presents Joint Commission on Transportation Accountability (JCTA) Report

FY2026 Revenue Breakdown

Kristen Sarik, Regional Transportation Planner, NVTA, presented the Annual Report to the Joint Commission on Transportation Accountability (JCTA).

Prepared by NVTA staff, the report outlines the use of funding generated under Title 33.2-2510 of the Code of Virginia, including:

• FY2026 revenues and allocations

• All funding programs approved by the Authority to date

• 70% Regional Revenue Funds appropriated in FY2026

• Details of the usage of 30% Local Distribution Funds for FY2014 to FY2026, which NVTA jurisdictions used for various transportation projects and programs

The report also provides updated revenue estimates for FY2027-2031.

View the full JCTA Report

NVTA Earns Second Investment Policy Certification in 2026

NVTA earned Investment Policy Certification from the Association of Public Treasurers of the US & Canada, marking the second certification NVTA received this year!

Congratulations to Dev Priya Sen, Investment and Debt Manager, NVTA, who led the submission, and to the entire NVTA Finance team for their work behind it.

Strong financial stewardship protects the public resources that fund transportation improvements across Northern Virginia.

Welcoming Our Newest Authority Member

Interim Mayor Ralph Smith, City of Manassas, replaces former Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger on the Authority following her mayoral resignation on September 30.

Mayor Smith has served on the Manassas City Council since 2019 and worked as an election official in Manassas for more than 20 years. He also previously worked as a senior executive with the Social Security Administration. We welcome Mayor Smith to the Authority!

Collaboration Across the Region

NVTA is proud to support our partners in improving Northern Virginia's transportation network. Together, we advocate for the region’s transportation needs and work to secure the resources necessary to advance vital projects.

The Authority took action on several items supporting regional and local transportation priorities. These included endorsement and recommendation requests from agencies and jurisdictions pursuing federal grants, as well as approvals for NVTA’s own project agreements.

The Authority unanimously approved:

The recommendation to reallocate three Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds for the following jurisdictions:
Arlington County
Fairfax County
Prince William County
A Standard Project Agreement (SPA) for Fairfax County's Soapstone Drive Extension Project.