Comment on the Visualize 2050 transportation plan!

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

We believe that the Visualize 2050 draft plan has a number of good projects but too many highway and arterial road expansions that will increase driving, pollution, and sprawl. Metropolitan Washington will miss its goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and 80-100% by 2050. Ask regional officials to do more on safety, sustainability, and affordable transportation options going forward.

Send comments to tpbcomment@mwcog.org by Nov. 14

Note that the final comment deadline is Nov. 21, 2025, but we are encouraging the public to submit comments early so TPB board members can see them at their mid-month meeting.

Read the plan and learn more with these CSG resources:

CSG’s initial comments on Visualize 2050:

  • We thank Transportation Planning Board (TPB) member agencies for unanimously voting to exclude the 495 Southside highway widening project and directing VDOT and MDOT to pursue better options.
  • Visualize 2050 has too many highway and arterial road expansions – almost 600 lane miles – that will increase driving and climate pollution. 
  • We appreciate the early public involvement round in 2023 by TPB and several jurisdictions for Visualize 2050, and the changes that were made as a result. However – as TPB’s draft plan notes in the conclusion – the progress needs to be quicker to address critical safety, sustainability, and livability needs for our region’s prosperity. 
  • The plan needs to acknowledge induced demand – the proven phenomenon that widening highways does not reduce congestion and instead makes our communities even more car-dependent. 
  • Despite the TPB’s 2021 commitment for a climate-friendly Visualize 2050, the plan would make it impossible for the region to meet the Council of Governments (COG) greenhouse gas reduction targets and most local targets. This is unacceptable.
  • While there are a number of good projects, too many suburbs and state agencies are prioritizing funds on oversized roads and not enough on making streets safer, improving transit, and completing local street grids. 
  • If the current U.S. DOT leadership won’t let TPB report on climate change in Visualize 2050, then COG needs to take over TPB’s greenhouse gas mitigation work to ensure our region makes more urgent progress in reducing its #1 source of carbon pollution.
  • We thank TPB for pushing localities and state agencies to do more on road safety, including safer street designs for pedestrians and bicyclists, more automated enforcement on unsafe roads in VA and MD, and reciprocal enforcement of traffic fines in DC, MD, and VA.
  • Due to local zoning and housing policies and state actions, the region is failing to meet its adopted targets to locate at least 75% of new housing and jobs in walkable, transit-served activity centers. 
  • We thank regional leaders and TPB staff for their hard work and commitment to transit shown in the DMVMoves initiative. We ask both local and state leaders to support the recommendations by establishing dedicated funding to address the identified rail and bus transit needs.

Thank you for weighing in on the future of our region!