PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2026
CONTACT
Stewart Schwartz
stewart@smartergrowth.net; (703) 599-6437
Today’s briefing to the Commonwealth Transportation Board: Virginia’s road repaving deficit is $200 million
CSG highlights the need for a “fix-it-first” approach tied to smart growth
Today, the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board received a sober briefing on statewide road repaving needs. The state has a road repaving deficit of $200 million due to a decision made in June 2025 by the prior administration to prioritize expansion and other types of road projects over maintenance. This is despite state law requiring a “maintenance-first” approach.
The Secretary of Transportation’s Office recommended that the Virginia Department of Transportation shift $239 million to repaving next year, which would require an approximate 50% reduction in funding for the next couple rounds of the state’s Smart Scale transportation improvement program.
“This deficit highlights the importance of a fix-it-first approach to our transportation network, spending our limited funds wisely by making efficient use of existing infrastructure and ensuring more compact and efficient land use,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “Virginia should be doing all it can to enable more housing close to jobs, services, and transit, where households have shorter commutes, daily needs a short trip away, and families spend less money on gas and vehicles.”
“Fixing our existing infrastructure first and providing more housing and business opportunities in walkable, transit-friendly, destination-rich neighborhoods and communities, can help the state achieve better transportation and quality of life outcomes without breaking the bank,” said Schwartz.
Bill Pugh, CSG’s Transportation and Climate Director, notes that the recent Repair Priorities report by the think tank Transportation for America rated Virginia’s road maintenance in the bottom category of states, putting it in the category of “Bad Spending; Bad Repair Conditions.” Spending on highway expansion has exceeded spending on maintenance and operations. For every dollar of highway expansion from 2018-2024, the state only spent 58 cents on maintenance. According to T4A’s analysis, the proposed SYIP would continue this pattern, with VDOT spending 35% of total funds on highway construction and only 23% on maintenance.
“The Repair Priorities report does note the improvement in bridge conditions by the Commonwealth from 2018 to 2024. We believe that this was based upon the policy decision last decade to direct more funding to Special Structures state of good repair. Virginia should similarly better prioritize funding maintenance of state-owned roads, including their ancillary facilities like streetlights and walking/biking facilities,” said Pugh.