The Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAWMPO) is updating the region's Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) to identify projects that align with the region's mobility needs and future growth. This process takes approximately 18-months and includes three phases of public engagement.

The SAWMPO completed the first phase of public engagement for the 2050 LRTP in Fall 2024.

In Phase One, residents were invited to share their current transportation needs and their vision for the future. From August 12 to September 30, 2024, a total of 284 community members shared their feedback through an online visioning survey. We also conducted targeted outreach through pop-up events across the region and five community consultation sessions with 20 organizations with the goal of reaching traditionally underrepresented populations and establishing new partnerships for future engagement.

Visioning survey respondents said their highest priorities for transportation investments center around expanded bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety, vehicular safety and intersection improvements, and expanded transit service in rural areas.

The SAWMPO completed the second phase of public engagement for the 2050 LRTP in Spring 2025.

In Phase Two, community members were invited to share their feedback on proposed projects and studies using an interactive map. From February 18 to March 31, 2025, more than 200 comments were received. We also held three community meetings in Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro, promoting Phase Two and answering questions about the proposed projects

Evaluating the Project List

During Phase Two, we evaluated the projects and studies that have been identified for inclusion in the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

The LRTP is a fiscally constrained plan which means the projects included must be reasonably fundable with the revenues projected over the time period the plan covers. In other words, we ask ourselves, "Accounting for all the federal, state, and local dollars anticipated over the next 25 years, how many of these projects could we realistically fund?”

In order to determine which projects make the final constrained list, projects are scored according to how well they meet the LRTP goals. The SAWMPO's Policy Board will review the project scores and the public feedback to determine which projects make the final list.

Candidate Projects:

SAWMPO staff start with a list of projects that were included in previous plans but have not yet been funded and new projects that have been identified since the last time the LRTP was updated in 2020. The projects you see included on the map above were pre-screened by SAWMPO staff, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and Policy Board. Candidate projects must meet an identified state-wide transportation need as documented in Virginia's Statewide Transportation Plan (VTRANS), must have a previously completed study associated with the project indicating an appropriate level of readiness, and must not yet be funded at the time of inclusion in the LRTP.

Vision List:

Projects and areas of concern that did not meet the screening criteria to be included in the project list, but have a recognized need for improvement were included on the map above as proposed studies. Projects that do not make the final constrained plan or need further study will be included on the LRTP Vision List.

Do you have questions about the LRTP process? Submit them anytime through the project page and they will be answered within 2 business days.