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Fairfax County will pursue smaller transportation projects in its next bid for Virginia funding after none of its proposals received money in the fiscal 2026 round.

Applications for the next cycle of Smart Scale grants are due this summer. County staff plans to prioritize projects seeking no more than $30 million from the program, Fairfax County Department of Transportation funding chief Noelle Dominguez told the Board of Supervisors’ Transportation Committee on Feb. 24.

Dominguez and FCDOT Director Gregg Steverson presented the strategy as a follow-up to a June 2025 discussion about the county’s unsuccessful applications.

Fairfax’s top-ranked proposal sought $70.5 million for the second phase of improvements along Braddock Road. It placed 109th statewide, far below the funding cutoff.

Northern Virginia fared poorly overall. Alexandria secured the region’s only Smart Scale award for fiscal 2026, receiving funding for improvements at Duke Street and Route 1.

Board Chair Jeff McKay said the outcome drew concern beyond the region.

“Everyone in the state was a little uncomfortable with how poorly Northern Virginia did,” McKay said.

Smaller Requests and More Applications

Cost appears to have worked against Fairfax. Its least expensive request was about $70 million, while no approved project sought more than $57 million.

The county hired consulting firm Rummel, Klepper & Kahl LLP for guidance on navigating the competition.

“We’re looking for ways we can better strategize,” Steverson said.

In addition to lowering the price of individual requests, Fairfax may submit more applications, potentially using all 10 slots available to the county during each cycle. Officials are also considering closer collaboration with neighboring jurisdictions and regional transportation agencies.

Another option is to emphasize projects reviewed through Virginia’s Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions initiative. The STARS program identifies projects intended to address congestion and safety problems, and more than half of its vetted projects won funding in recent rounds, Dominguez said.

Created in 2017, Smart Scale has distributed between $859 million and $1.76 billion statewide during each funding cycle.

Fairfax County has submitted 40 applications since the program began and received funding for eight. Those awards supported work on Routes 7, 28 and 29, Popes Head Road, Braddock Road and the Richmond Highway bus rapid transit project.

All but one of the successful projects cost less than $55 million, although every one exceeded the county’s proposed $30 million target for future applications.

Bigger Projects Still Need Money

County officials are also exploring whether the General Assembly could revise Smart Scale’s funding formulas. Several Fairfax leaders recently discussed possible legislative changes with new Virginia Secretary of Transportation Nick Donohue and Secretary of Commerce and Trade Carrie Chenery.

County Executive Bryan Hill said he would continue those talks but cautioned that passing legislation “is a bigger lift” than strengthening applications under the current rules.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said limiting requests to $30 million made sense, but questioned how the approach would serve major undertakings such as improvements to Fairfax County Parkway.

Local, regional, state and federal funding sources remain available, but each presents different complications, Steverson said. He called assembling money for transportation projects “a balancing act.”

The nearly $1 billion Richmond Highway transit project known as “The One” illustrates that challenge. Its financing combines multiple local, regional, state and federal revenue streams.

McKay said the county now has a formal analysis it can use to test its funding theories. He also voiced hope that Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration would recognize how transportation investments in Fairfax and Northern Virginia benefit the entire commonwealth.

“We’re driving the entire state’s economy,” McKay said.

Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity raised the possibility of reviving county transportation bonds approved through public referendums. Whatever funding path Fairfax takes, he said officials must reduce project costs.

“We’ve got to be looking at driving down the cost of projects,” Herrity said. “We’ve got to build what’s reasonable.”