SMART SCALE

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On February 21, 2018, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) passed a resolution adopting a corrected policy and approving the guide for implementation of the SMART SCALE Project Prioritization Process. The updated SMART SCALE Technical Guide (revision date January 2022) is available HERE. The SMART SCALE process is conducted every two years with Round 5 concluding in June 2023 with project selections by the CTB.

Background

House Bill 2 (HB2), signed into law in 2014, directed the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) to develop and use a prioritization process to select transportation projects. The legislation intended to improve the transparency and accountability of project selection, as well as improve stability in the Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP). The new process was to score projects based on an objective analysis and provide guidance to the CTB for project selection and funding. Following a year of development, which included multiple stakeholder outreach sessions across the state, the CTB approved the HB2 prioritization process on June 17, 2015. The process was given the acronym SMART SCALE, with SMART standing for System for the Management and Allocation of Resources for Transportation and SCALE referring to the six evaluation factors – Safety, Congestion mitigation, Accessibility, Land use, and Economic development and environment.

Evaluation Factors

The legislation that resulted in SMART SCALE requires that projects be evaluated for each of the following factors:

Congestion Mitigation
Economic Development
Accessibility
Safety
Environmental Quality
Land Use Coordination (for areas with over 200,000 population)

Weighting Frameworks

The legislation that resulted in SMART SCALE specifies that the CTB shall assign different weights to the factors based on the unique needs and qualities of the different areas of the state. More information on the SMART SCALE weighting typologies, or frameworks, may be found on the Weighting Frameworks page.

HRTPO Processes Related to SMART SCALE

The SMART SCALE process specifies eligible applicants for three project type categories, as shown in the following table:

Project Type	Regional Entities (MPOs, PDCs)	Local Governments	Transit Agencies
Corridors of Statewide Significance	Yes	Yes, *with a resolution of support from relevant regional entity*	Yes, *with a resolution of support from relevant regional entity*
Regional Networks	Yes	Yes, with a resolution of support from relevant regional entity*	Yes, *with a resolution of support from relevant regional entity*
Urban Development Area	No	Yes, with a resolution of support from relevant regional entity*	No
Safety	No	Yes, *with a resolution of support from relevant regional entity**	No

* Projects within established MPO study areas that are not identified in or consistent with the regionally adopted Constrained Long Range Plan (CLRP) must include a resolution of support from the respective MPO Policy Board.

The HRTPO Guidance on SMART SCALE addresses HRTPO actions related to the following scenarios:

When the HRTPO is the applicant
When the HRTPO is requested to support projects submitted by Localities and Transit Agencies
When the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) is requested to support projects submitted by Localities and Transit Agencies