Project Applications

Application Schedule

Eligible applicants may submit project applications according to the SMART SCALE Biennial Schedule. The application process generally follows the schedule below.

Even-Numbered Years

• January through February: Applicants are encouraged to coordinate with VDOT and DRPT prior to applying for SMART SCALE.
• March 1^st through March 31^st: Applicants create pre-applications with basic project information in the SMART Portal.
• April 1^st: Deadline to complete pre-applications. No new applications can be created after April 1^st.
• April 1^st through May 31^st: State staff pre-screen applications to ensure they meet VTrans Mid-term Needs and other eligibility requirements.
• June 1^st through July 30^th: Applicants refine their applications using screening feedback.
• August 1^st: Deadline to submit final application.
• August through December: State staff screen, score, and prioritize

Odd-Numbered Years

• January: SMART SCALE scores and the staff-recommended funding scenario are made public at the January meeting of the CTB.
• February through June: The CTB conducts the Spring Transportation Meetings, engages the public, and makes changes to the funding scenario as appropriate.
• June: The CTB adopts the consensus funding scenario and the final Six-Year Improvement Program.
• July through December: OIPI uses public and stakeholder feedback to refine the application process, scoring methodology, and SMART SCALE policy.

The biennial schedule is summarized in the graphic below.

SMART Portal

SMART SCALE applications are created, submitted, and displayed through the SMART Portal, an application tool used by several funding programs in the Commonwealth. After each round of funding, the Portal provides a public record of the individual project applications and the resulting score for each project. For more information, including a detailed walkthrough for using the Portal, see the SMART Portal User Guide.

The Pre-Scoping Module is a resource within the SMART Portal to assist with project application development prior to creating an application for any SMART Portal funding program. Applicants can build apps in the module before importing them into a SMART SCALE pre-application.

Eligibility Criteria

Who Can Apply?

SMART SCALE applications may be submitted by counties, cities, and towns that maintain their own infrastructure and qualify to receive maintenance payments, pursuant to §33.2-319. Other eligible entities include Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), Planning District Commissions (PDCs) and public transit agencies. By majority vote, the CTB may also choose to submit up to two projects for evaluation each application cycle.

Applications must be related to projects located within the boundaries of the qualifying entity. However, localities and regional planning bodies may submit applications for projects that cross boundaries with a resolution of support from the affected jurisdiction(s), MPO(s), and PDC(s). Counties are responsible for transportation in towns that do not receive maintenance payments and are encouraged to coordinate with towns and prioritize candidate projects for submission similar to the Secondary Six-Year Plan process.

Though all of these entities may submit projects, applications must address certain VTrans Need Markets depending on the applicant type. The Need Market required for each applicant type is shown in the table below.

Project Type	Regional Entity (MPOs, PDCs, Transit Agencies)	Locality (Counties, Cities, and Towns)
Corridor of Statewide Significance	Yes	Yes
Regional Network	Yes	Yes
Urban Development Area	No	Yes
Safety	No	Yes

 

Secondary resolutions of support may be required; these requirements are provided in the Readiness Criteria section of this page.

Applicants may submit a limited number of pre-applications and applications in the SMART Portal based on the population thresholds shown in the table below. For a complete list of eligible entities, population data, and the maximum number of applications per tier, download the Final Application Limits FY2028.

Tier	Localities Population Threshold	MPOs / PDCs / Transit Agencies Population Threshold	Maximum Number of Pre-Applications	Maximum Number of Applications
1	Less than 200,000	Less than 500,000	5	4
2	Greater than 200,000	Greater than 500,000	12	10

 

The source of population data for cities, counties, and PDCs is the latest University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center, Demographics Research Group estimates. The data for MPOs and towns is not available from the Weldon Cooper Center and is instead from the latest decennial United States Census. Application limits for transit agencies are determined based on the latest service area population in the National Transit Database (NTD) Transit Agency Profiles. If service area population is not available in the NTD, the latest Census data is used to determine population in jurisdictions served by the transit agency.

Readiness Criteria

In order to ensure that projects can advance to construction, applications must demonstrate a certain level of readiness. At a minimum, all applications must include a description of the project, accurate feature selections, and a detailed project sketch. Additional readiness requirements such as planning studies depend on the project’s scope and are listed in Section 2.4 of the SMART SCALE Technical Guide.

In order to ensure that staff can accurately score projects, it is critical that SMART SCALE applications are consistent.

Resolutions of Support

Applicants must demonstrate that a project has the support of key stakeholders and that the public has had the opportunity to provide comments. Every applicant must include a resolution of support from its own governing body.

Additional resolutions of support may be required depending on the project’s location. Applications submitted by localities, transit agencies, and PDCs that are located within an MPO area must provide a resolution of support from the MPO unless the project is identified in or consistent with the adopted Constrained Long Range Plan. These requirements are summarized in the table below.

If an application includes passenger rail or freight rail features, the submitting entity must provide a letter of support from the stakeholder railroad owner or operator.

Project Location	Locality Applicant	Transit Agency Applicant	PDC Applicant	MPO Applicant
Within MPO(s)	Yes, from affected MPO(s)	Yes, from affected MPO(s)	Yes, from affected MPO(s)	Yes, from affected MPO(s)
Crossing a locality boundary	Yes, from the affected locality	No	No	No
Category C	30 percent	20 percent	15 percent	0 percent (multiplier)
Category D	40 percent	10 percent	10 percent	0 percent (multiplier)

 

Project Scoring

Once it has been determined that a project meets an identified need, is eligible, and is ready, the project is evaluated and prioritized. For each application, 14 scoring measures are calculated across six factor areas: safety, congestion mitigation, accessibility, environmental quality, economic development, and land use. These scores are subjected to a rigorous quality assurance/quality control review to identify any inconsistencies.

After review, the final measure values are normalized from 0 to 100, added together for each factor, and then weighted according to each project’s area type to calculate the project’s benefit score. Each benefit score is then divided by the application’s requested amount to get the final SMART SCALE score for each application.

This process is summarized in the graphic below.

Scoring Measures

SMART SCALE utilizes 14 evaluation measures that quantify the benefits of each project for six factor areas as shown in the table below. Each measure is weighted differently within the corresponding factor area.

Safety Factor

Measure ID	Measure Name	Measure Weight
S.1	Equivalent Property Damage Only (EPDO) of Fatal and Injury Crashes	70 percent (100 percent for transit and transportation demand management projects)
S.1	EPDO Rate of Fatal and Injury Crashes	30 percent

 

Congestion Mitigation Factor

Measure ID	Measure Name	Measure Weight
C.1	Person Throughput	50 percent
C.2	Person Hours of Delay	50 percent

 

Accessibility Factor

Measure ID	Measure Name	Measure Weight
A.1	Access to Jobs	60 percent
A.2	Access to Jobs for Disadvantaged Persons	20 percent
A.3	Access to Multimodal Choices	20 percent

 

Environmental Quality Factor

Measure ID	Measure Name	Measure Weight
E.1	Air Quality and Environmental Effect	100 percent
E.2	Impact to Natural and Cultural Resources	0 percent - subtract up to 5 points

 

Economic Development Factor

Measure ID	Measure Name	Measure Weight
ED.1	Project Support for Economic Development	60 percent
ED.2	Intermodal Access and Efficiency	20 percent
ED.3	Travel Time Reliability	20 percent

 

Land Use Factor

Measure ID	Measure Name	Measure Weight
L.1	Transportation-Efficient Land Use	50 percent
L.2	Increase in Transportation-Efficient Land Use	50 percent

 

Area Types

Four area types, also called weighting typologies, are used to weight factors according to the unique needs of urban and rural areas. The boundaries of each area type are shown in the map below.

The factor weights for each area type are shown in the table below. For projects that cross multiple area types, OIPI will use the factor weights of the area type covering the majority of the project footprint. The Land Use factor score is not weighted and added to the final score. Instead, it is normalized from 1.0 to 2.0 and multiplied by the sum of the other factors, adding up to 100% to the final benefit score.

Factor	Safety	Congestion Mitigation	Accessibility	Land Use	Economic Development	Environmental Quality
Category A	15 percent	45 percent	25 percent	0 percent (multiplier)	5 percent	10 percent
Category B	20 percent	25 percent	25 percent	0 percent (multiplier)	20 percent	10 percent
Category C	30 percent	20 percent	15 percent	0 percent (multiplier)	25 percent	10 percent
Category D	40 percent	10 percent	10 percent	0 percent (multiplier)	30 percent	10 percent

Once all applications have been scored, OIPI develops a staff-recommended funding scenario using a two-step process:

• Step 1: Fund top scoring projects within each district based on SMART SCALE Score eligible for Highway Construction District Grant Program funds using Highway Construction District Grant Program funds until the remaining funds are insufficient to fund the next highest scoring project.
• Step 2: Fund remaining top scoring projects statewide based on SMART SCALE Score for High Priority Projects Program funds using High Priority Projects Program funds until the remaining funds are insufficient to fund the next highest scoring project.

Remaining balances will be reserved to address budget adjustments on selected projects according to the thresholds established in the SMART SCALE Prioritization Process or reserved for allocation in a subsequent round.

The CTB may modify the staff-recommended funding scenario. Additional considerations that may be used by the CTB include:

• Public feedback from Fall Transportation Meetings and Spring public meetings;
• SMART SCALE scores;
• Project segmentation – starting the next phase of a multi-segment roadway improvement, e.g., to complete a major multi-segment project; and
• Applicant delivery performance as reported by Local Assistance Division.

The prioritization process does not require that the CTB fund projects in order of their scores. Further, the CTB is not required to select the highest scoring project. The SMART SCALE process is a means to assist the CTB in evaluating and comparing proposed improvements. The CTB continues to retain final decision-making authority on improvements to be included in the SYIP.

Next, the public has the opportunity to comment on the draft SYIP, including the scoring results for individual projects.

Finally, the CTB takes public comments into account regarding the draft SYIP and approves the final SYIP for implementation in June.

Project Change Process

In general, once a project has been screened, scored, and selected for funding by the CTB, it will remain in the SYIP as a funding priority. Only the CTB can cancel a selected project. A project may be reconsidered for funding in two cases:

1. There are significant changes in the scope or cost that alter the original intent or benefit of the project and the CTB’s allocation decision. If the project cost is increased due to a scope change, the applicant is responsible for the additional cost.
2. There is a significant reduction in the previously identified local or regional funds leveraged for the project. If the leveraged funds do not materialize, the applicant must pay the difference

If a project’s estimate increases before project advertisement, applicants may request additional funds through the SMART SCALE Project Change Process. OIPI will work with VDOT and DRPT to review the project, including re-scoring if project benefits may be impacted by the change. If the requested funds exceed the thresholds shown in the table below, CTB action is required to approve the budget increase.

Total Project Budget	Change from Original SMART SCALE Requested Amount
Less than $5 Million	20 percent or greater increase in funding requested
From $5 Million to $10 Million	$1 Million or greater increase in funding requested
More than $10 Million	10% or greater increase in funding requested; $5 Million maximum increase in funding

For a record of previous project changes, see the Project Updates page. For more information about the Project Change Process, see Chapter 4 of the SMART SCALE Technical Guide or review the Project Change Guide.

Project Resubmittal

If a submitted project is not selected for funding during a round, applicants may resubmit the project in the next round.

Once a project is selected for funding, it cannot be resubmitted to address cost increases or loss of other sources of funding. If revenue reductions decrease the amount of actual funding available for a particular SMART SCALE cohort, projects may be delayed and/or revenues from future rounds of SMART SCALE may be used.