Regional transportation board to vote on 25-year plan Wednesday

Visualize 2050 would guide $17.91 billion in investments across D.C., Maryland and Virginia

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board will vote on Wednesday on whether to adopt Visualize 2050, a long-range plan that will guide transportation investments across the Washington metropolitan area through 2050.

The vote caps more than three years of development and public input on the plan, which must be approved for projects to receive federal funding.

Shows the scale of public engagement: 4,606 total comments over three years across the three comment periods (997 in 2023, 2,485 in 2024, 893 in 2025, plus 231 from TPB meetings). This visualizes the multi-year process.

The TPB will meet at noon at the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission office in Arlington. Board members will consider three resolutions: one certifying that the plan meets Clean Air Act requirements; one approving the plan and an accompanying $17.91 billion four-year spending program; and one affirming that the board is following federal planning requirements.

The final public comment period, held Oct. 23 through Nov. 21, drew 231 comments from elected officials, advocacy groups, and residents. Major themes included calls for more ambitious climate goals, expanded transit service, and opposition to highway widenings and toll lanes.

Shows who submitted the 231 final comments: 136 individuals, 86 from email campaigns, 5 advocacy groups, 2 member jurisdictions, 1 COG board, 1 elected official. Good for transparency on the mix of voices.

Five nonprofit groups submitted comments: Citizens Against Beltway Expansion, The Climate Mobilization, Southern Environmental Law Center, Coalition for Smarter Growth, and the Sierra Club. The Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee concurred with the air quality conformity analysis but urged continued investment in emissions reduction strategies.

Has direct quotes from commenters including Kenny Boddye and The Climate Mobilization. Adds human interest but is text-heavy.

The FY 2026-2029 Transportation Improvement Program includes 364 projects across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Funding increased by roughly $180 million relative to an earlier draft after technical updates from eight implementing agencies.

The board will also vote on up to $10.7 million in federal grants for specialized transportation serving older adults and people with disabilities. It will set annual targets for highway and transit safety.

Staff will brief members on the TPB’s role in DMVMoves, a joint initiative with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and WMATA to modernize Metro and improve coordination among the region’s 14 transit operators. The COG and WMATA boards endorsed the plan on Nov. 17 and asked the TPB to serve as lead coordinator for implementation.

Walter Alcorn, a Fairfax County supervisor, chairs the board.

For the agenda, livestream, and other meeting materials, visit the event page.