Senior Transit Planner Devon Thompson has been appointed to an at-large seat on the board of the Community Transportation Association of Virginia (CTAV), the statewide association representing Virginia’s small public and community transit providers. Board members serve as volunteers.

Devon brought  her 13 years of transit planning experience to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Local Programs Workshop in Roanoke on September 22. She joined staff from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) on a panel about how state agencies and transit agencies can work together so that transit infrastructure is incorporated into larger transportation projects from the start.

When a road is widened or an intersection redesigned, a bus stop, shelter, or safe crossing is far easier to include during design than to add afterward. Devon does this work for BRITE every day, coordinating with local planners and the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAWMPO) to deliver new bus shelters across the service area, focused on busy stops at the Augusta County Government Center and the Fishersville and Waynesboro public libraries.

During her two-year term, Devon will help plan CTAV’s statewide events, including the Roadeo, Young Professionals in Transit trainings, and the Annual Conference & Expo. Her service keeps BRITE and the Central Shenandoah region at the table where Virginia’s transit priorities take shape.

The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) worked with the Town of Grottoes and its public works staff to complete the Grottoes Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Trails Multimodal Master Plan, which identifies potential project including 17 sidewalk segments, 12 pedestrian crossing improvements, and 7 trail and greenway projects. Altogether, the projects outlined in the plan reflect a $13.8 to $15.6 million investment in multi-modal improvements to the Town of Grottoes.

The projects are prioritized and ranked within the Plan, giving the Town a roadmap of what to pursue first. Three projects are positioned to lead the way: completing the 14th Street sidewalk loop between Holly and Forest Avenues, extending the Painter Park riverwalk along the South River, and advancing a signal study at the US-340 and 3rd Street intersection. The prioritization of these projects reflects the Town’s growing need to connect people to important destinations like the grocery store and parks, and the need to provide safe crossings as traffic increases. The plan also provides recommendations on non-construction activities that will help make the town more walkable and bike-friendly such as developing a new bicycle ordinance.

Following the completion of the plan, CSPDC staff assisted the Town of Grottoes in applying for Ready, Set, Go! funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The Ready, Set, Go! program provides 100% funding to develop concept drawings and cost estimates to increase project readiness for future VDOT funding cycles.

Grottoes was awarded funding through this program for the Augusta Avenue sidewalk project Over the coming months, VDOT staff and consultants will work with the Town staff to get the project ready to apply for construction funding in 2027.

The Harrisonburg-Rockingham MPO (HRMPO) and the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro MPO (SAWMPO) each began a transportation study to plan for increasing growth along key regional corridors. Both studies will produce recommendations that localities can use to guide development review and pursue future funding.

HRMPO and Kimley-Horn began the Stone Spring Road and Ridgedale Road Transportation Master Plan with a September 29 kickoff meeting with Rockingham County, the City of Harrisonburg, and VDOT. The study will identify roadway needs for Stone Spring Road, Ridgedale Road, Greendale Road, and Ramblewood Road, evaluate an alignment for a future Peach Grove Avenue extension, and address bicycle and pedestrian connections. Once the consultant completes the study in spring 2027, Rockingham County plans to use the recommendations to guide future rezoning and proffer decisions and to update its Stone Spring Urban Development Area (UDA) Plan.

SAWMPO and Timmons Group began the Frontier Drive Corridor Study with an August 5 kickoff meeting with Augusta County, the City of Staunton, VDOT, and BRITE Transit. The corridor runs from US 11 in Augusta County to Richmond Road (US 250) in Staunton and carries about 9,300 vehicles per day. Current and proposed development could add approximately 2,000 new housing units along the corridor, which would add a significant amount of new traffic beyond current volumes. The consultant will develop improvement alternatives this winter, hold a public open house in early 2027, and complete the study in spring 2027 to support future funding applications.

With deep sadness, we share the news that Frank Friedman, our Commission Chair and Mayor of the City of Lexington, passed away on July 2nd.

Frank served as CSPDC’s Commission Chair for almost ten consecutive years. He championed a succession plan that ensured a smooth transition between Executive Directors in 2024, and he represented our region on the GO Virginia Region 8 Council and the Improve I-81 Advisory Committee. He ran lively Commission meetings, brought thoughtfulness to every discussion, and was deeply committed to his life as a public servant. We will miss him and his steadfast support of the PDC.

Frank’s family has established the Frank Wilson Friedman Memorial Fund, administered by the Community Foundation for Rockbridge, Bath, and Alleghany, as a lasting tribute to his life. For more information visit cfra.fcsuite.com.