Six-Year Improvement Program FAQ
What Is the Six-Year Improvement Program?
The Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP) is the Commonwealth Transportation Board's (CTB) program for allocating funding for rail, public transportation, commuter assistance, bicycle, pedestrian, interstate and primary highway transportation projects in future years.
What Is the Commonwealth Transportation Board?
The 17-member CTB is appointed by the governor and meets on the third Thursday of each month. The board is primarily responsible for locating routes, approving construction contracts, creating traffic regulations, naming highways and administering and allocating the Transportation Trust Fund.How Are Projects Selected To Be Included in the Six-Year Improvement Program?
Local governments work with citizens and Virginia’s transportation agencies and form a vision by developing a
transportation plan that anticipates land use changes and travel patterns more than two decades into the future.
These factors are taken into consideration:
- Statewide and regional plans that identify transportation needs and projects
required to serve future travel demands over a 20- to 25-year period
- An analysis of projected traffic volumes and population, business and
residential growth
- An evaluation of the priorities for implementation of the transportation plan
- Citizen and community participation meetings to receive input on the transportation priorities
There will be a limited number of new projects added to the program; most are safety-related or critical priorities. Citizens' input on transportation priorities at the SYIP public hearings is important in determining which projects to add to the program.
What Is the CTB’s Role After the Projects are Identified?
The CTB representative for each district (with input from the CTB at-large members) evaluates the priorities and the input received from the citizens at the public hearings and then selects the projects to be included in the SYIP update.
What Was the Budget for the Six-Year Improvement Program Last Year?
The program allocated $10.1 billion to highway construction projects. improvements and rail and public transportation projects through Fiscal Year 2014.
When Is the Next Update of the Program?
The next update is for the next six fiscal years that will begin July 1, 2010.
You can comment on the program by following comment instructions at the bottom of this page.
Where Does Funding for Virginia’s Transportation Systems Come From?
It comes from:
- Motor fuel tax (17.5 cents per gallon)
- A vehicle sales tax of three percent
- A portion of the vehicle license fees ($29.50)
- General sales and use taxes (0.5 percent)
- Bond debt: $2.1 billon as of June 2003
- Federal funds (18.4 cents motor fuel tax and other sources)
- Auto premiums
If I Have a Recommendation for a Project, When Is the Earliest It Could Be Considered in the Six-Year Improvement Program Process?
If your recommended project is selected by the CTB, it would typically be included in the sixth year of the next update – which is Fiscal Year 2014.
Does the Six-Year Improvement Program Include Projects I Want to Recommend for My Subdivision?
The Six-Year Improvement Program focuses on the interstate, primary, rail and public transit systems. The CTB will take remarks about urban projects, but city and town councils normally determine those projects. Subdivision streets are l ocal city or town streets or county secondary roads.
City and town streets are managed and improved by the municipal public works departments and the county boards of supervisors determine the secondary road improvements to be included i n their Secondary Six-Year plans. Enhancement grants and secondary system projects are discussed at separate meetings.
How Can New Projects Get Added to the Program?
There will be a limited number of new projects added to the program, but those must be critical priorities or critical safety needs that must be addressed.
What Happens Once a Project Is Included in the Six-Year Improvement Program?
Project development begins. This involves:
- Environmental studies (including public hearings for citizen participation)
- Preliminary engineering
- Acquiring property for construction
Once a project is fully funded and project development is complete, it moves to construction.
Why Are Some Projects Taken off of the Six-Year Improvement Program?
Some projects are taken out of the SYIP if there is not enough funding to finance them. The CTB has policies and goals to ensure that projects that are included in the SYIP have sufficient funds.
Why Are Some Projects Slow To Get Off the Ground?
The CTB and VDOT have made a concerted effort to assemble projects in the SYIP so they can move through the development process in an orderly fashion. As projects are being developed, many issues arise that must be addressed, such as citizen concerns or environmental issues.
While these are typical issues that are as a project moves forward, it often appears that little progress is being made.
How Can I Participate in the Six-Year Improvement Program Process?
You may attend any of the SYIP meetings listed on this Web page. The meetings are held in the spring and fall of each year.
There you can:
- Fill out a comment sheet provided and leave it in a designated comment box.
- Provide oral comments to a verbatim reporter at the meeting.
- Present your comments to CTB members. You must sign up at the welcome desk to speak. Speakers are called in the order in which they sign up. You will have a maximum of three minutes.
You may also mail or e-mail your comments:
For public transportation and rail projects:
Public information officer
Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation
1313 E. Main St., Suite 300
Richmond, VA 23219
DRPT@drpt.virgnia.gov
Programming director
Virginia Department of Transportation
1401 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Six-YearProgram@VirginiaDOT.org
