Henrico expects $39.7 million in CVTA revenue for transportation projects

Henrico County will receive a projected $39.7 million in revenue from the Central Virginia Transportation Authority for transportation projects within the next year and a half.

Sharon Smidler, the transportation development division director for Henrico’s Department of Public Works, shared that update about the CVTA – which was created in 2020 by the General Assembly to administer transportation funding for projects generated through an additional 0.7% sales tax – at a Henrico Board of Supervisors work session Tuesday afternoon.

Of the total projected revenue, $17.2 million is expected in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, and $22.5 million in fiscal year 2022, Smidler said.

There are 90 active transportation projects (valued at $340 million) underway in Henrico, she said, and about two-thirds will use some CVTA funds. Transportation projects are on the rise in Henrico – up from only projects in 2011, she said.

In Henrico's 10-year Capital Improvement Program, officials have identified expected transportation needs that total about $2 billion, Smidler said, meaning that a variety of funding sources will be important as the county attempts to complete them all. (The CIP is funded by supervisors only one year at a time, so the other years represent a wish-list of items that may or may not be funded according to their projected timeline.)

Henrico also is conducting 22 active transportation studies, Smidler added.

The funding sources of the Henrico projects are composed of 42% local funding (which includes the CVTA), 43% from federal funds and 15% from state funds.

Examples of the identified projects include county-wide pedestrian improvement at intersections, such as LED crossing signs on Libbie Avenue, Smidler said. Funds also will be appropriated for structural traffic calming and curb bump-outs so people can cross intersections in a safer manner, she explained.

CVTA local funds will be used for bike and pedestrian accommodations on Church Road this summer, Smidler said, and funds also will be used for an access road to Glover Park, she said.

A major project supported by the CVTA is the Fall Line trail, which is a 43-mile north-south regional trail in Central Virginia. The trail encompasses seven localities: Ashland, Hanover, Henrico, Richmond, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights and Petersburg, according to the Fall Line website.

Supervisors noted during the meeting that this project had garnered collective excitement across all levels of government.

Officials also are seeking new funding opportunities, Smidler said, such as for the Magellan Parkway extension. Unique funding opportunities can come from programs such as Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, which has awarded almost $9 billion in grants since 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation website.

Some construction revenue that would have been available this year were pushed to the 2026 and 2028 fiscal years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on availability, she said.

“We are working with the state to advance funding and get our projects shovel ready by putting to use our CVTA local funds to get the design, the right of way, the utilities relocated and then talking with the state,” she said.

In the meantime, local funding will support transportation projects, Smidler said.

“We're using CVTA funds to fully fund existing projects and we're finding innovative ways to apply for grant funding for projects for our communities,” Smidler said regarding the potential to use leverage coming from local CVTA funds to help Henrico compete for new grants.