Legislation passed the Virginia General Assembly in 2014 that required the Virginia Department of Transportation to begin using a system to rank potential projects for funding.
Since then, the Smart Scale system has gone through six rounds and has covered part of the costs to build projects including the diverging diamond at Interstate 64’s interchange with U.S. 250 and conversion of Hydraulic Road’s intersection with Hillsdale Drive into a roundabout.
“SMART SCALE is a process that helps Virginia meet its most critical transportation needs using limited tax dollars,” reads VDOT’s website on the process. “It evaluates potential transportation projects based on key factors like how they improve safety, reduce congestion, increase accessibility, contribute to economic development, promote efficient land use, and affect the environment.”…