Rural Transportation Planning

The Rural Transportation Planning Program is the cooperative forum for transportation planning among the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT) and Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson Counties and much of Albemarle County. The TJPDC serves as the Policy Board for this program.

Rural Planning Roundtable

TJPDC recently launched the Rural Planning Roundtable as an occasional gathering of planners from the Counties. This roundtable setup will allow rural localities the opportunity to meet and share ideas and to discuss issues and best practices on various topics of interest. Topics discussed so far include affordable housing and funding for transportation projects.

NW Fluvanna/SW Louisa Corridor Study Report Available

The Study Report summarizes the overall process, including the Community Involvement through which the vision for the Corridor area was developed and the technical analysis through which a preferred scenario for the study area’s future was selected. The Study Report also includes a Framework Plan, which provides detailed guidelines for how to achieve the Preferred Scenario and proposed intersection improvements for three key study area intersections: Rt. 250 & Rt. 15 (Zion Crossroads), Rt. 53 & Rt. 15 (Palmyra), and Rt. 53 & Rt. 600 (Lake Monticello).

The Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization and the TJPDC are in the process of determining which major transportation projects to plan over the next 25 years. The process involves decisions by City, County, and State policy-makers, taking into account input from residents and businesses in the region. more >>

Lovingston Safety Study Completed

This plan studed and made recommendation to 1. enhance the small town, pedestrian-oriented character of historic Lovingston, the County seat of Nelson, and to 2. achieve a safer, more efficient connection between historic Lovingston and the growth occurring on the opposite side of Route 29. The Study was completed June 30, 2005 with community workshops and a walking analysis of the study area conducted on May 31st and June 1, 2005. The Project Team consisted of TJPDC staff, Nelson County staff, and engineering and landscape architecture consultants. During the May 31st community workshop community needs and ideas were expressed and written on maps of Lovingston. The Project Team then analyzed the results of the workshop on June 1 and began defining recommendations. Additional field work was conducted on the 1st. During June the Project Team prepared a draft report with maps and graphics. A working draft was prepared, relevant changes and additions were made and the final report then completed. TJPDC presented this Study to the Nelson County Board of Supervisors on June 12, 2005. ( more ...)

This study was initiated by the Town of Scottsville and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission to identify new multi-modal transportation links throughout Scottsville and to study how future development in Scottsville can best reflect the Town's heritage as a small, rural village. more >>

The Nellysford Study involved the community of Nellysford, one of the fast growing districts in Nelson County. This study reviewed safety, access management, multi-modal considerations, and land development issues and focused on Route 151, a major rural route in Nelson for local traffic and tourists. A review and analysis of this village was performed for the purpose of making recommendations for improvements to access and safety for all roadway users. Increased bicycle and pedestrian mobility options were also explored, as were interconnections of properties through access management. more >>

Planning for the Big Picture As communities across Virginia seek ways to enhance and protect their unique sense of place, the establishment of greenways is increasingly being woven into the bigger picture. Local governments, elected officials and residents alike are looking at their communities as an inter-related system of housing, education, employment, commerce, transportation and recreation. Greenways can be an integral part of this system by linking people with activity centers and generally improving the quality of life in an area. more >>

The Technical Committee

The Technical Committee, composed of individuals with working knowledge of transportation and land use, provides technical review, comment, and recommendations on transportation plans, programs, studies and other appropriate documents, and on regional transportation issues. The Committee integrates land use and environmental considerations into all of its activities in order to forge a stronger link between transportation, land use and the environment. The Committee:

• determines the influence of current data upon the Rural Transportation Plan in relation to previous data and projected trends;
• cooperates in the development of procedures for the collection of traffic data;
• works with the staffs of the TJPDC and VDOT to review, comment, recommend, and assist VDOT, participating political jurisdictions, or the TJPDC on any proposal, alternatives, and work performed on the location and design of facilities in the Rural Transportation Plan*; and
• serves in an advisory capacity to the TJPDC, the Policy Board for the Thomas Jefferson Rural Transportation Planning Program.

*Note: The Rural Transportation Plan is being combined with the urban CHART Plan into the United Jefferson Area Mobility Plan (UnJAM 2025), allowing a regional approach that encompasses all of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District to include urban, suburban, and rural areas.

The following documents are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download the free reader, click the following link: Get Acrobat Reader

Rural Transportation Work Program 2005
FY06 Rural Transportation Scope Of Work - Feb2006
FY07 Rural Transportation Scope Of Work