News
Afton Express Begins Enhanced Commuter Schedule
The Afton Express introduced a revised weekday schedule on December 1 to better support regional workers traveling between the Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville. The updated schedule is designed to align with major employer shift times, provide additional service during peak periods, and offer more consistency across trips throughout the morning and evening.
These changes follow ongoing analysis of ridership trends and feedback from commuters since the service launched in 2021. The improved schedule aims to enhance flexibility and coverage for employees across the corridor while supporting continued growth in commuter transit use along I-64.
As the Afton Express continues to see strong ridership, growing 25% since last year, the new schedule is expected to further strengthen access to employment opportunities and improve regional connectivity. Updated schedule information is available on the BRITE Bus website.
Regional Leaders Gather to Share Legislative Priorities Ahead of 2026 General Assembly Session
Left to Right: Delegate Terry Austin, Jeremy Holmes, Ann Cundy, and Senator Chris Head
On Monday, December 1st, local government administrators from Bath and Rockbridge Counties and the Roanoke Valley gathered at the historic Masonic Theater in Clifton Forge for a legislative lunch hosted by the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission and the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.
Delegate Terry Austin and Senator Chris Head joined the roundtable discussion, listening as local leaders shared their perspectives on issues affecting their jurisdictions. The format allowed for candid conversation and meaningful dialogue between local governments and those who craft legislation in Richmond.
Attendees discussed a variety of municipal challenges, and common themes included housing, adequate funding for fire and rescue personnel and equipment, and maintaining local autonomy in land use decisions.
As the 2026 General Assembly Session approaches, the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission remains committed to facilitating these important regional dialogues and strengthening the connection between our member jurisdictions and their state representatives.
CSPDC Begins Regional Flood and Stormwater Resilience Plan
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) awarded the CSPDC a $270,000 grant through the Community Flood Preparedness Fund (CFPF) program to fund a Regional Flood and Stormwater Resilience Plan. The Plan includes 18 of the 21 localities in the CSPDC region and will allow localities to identify flooding/stormwater needs, identify priority projects such as conventional stormwater and green infrastructure improvements, and make localities eligible for DCR CFPF construction funding, which requires a locality to have an existing Resilience Plan.
The CSPDC is working with the Berkley Group to develop the plan, and the CSPDC held a plan kick-off meeting on October 24 to provide an overview of the plan and next steps. The plan process includes a public outreach phase and individual, in-person meetings with staff from each locality to identify flood and stormwater issues and projects.
The CSPDC is providing funding for the 10% grant match through the CSPDC Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) Program, and no match is required from localities. The plan will be complete in fall 2026.
CSPDC Staff Attend Statewide Training Conference
Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission staff participated in the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions (VAPDC) Training Conference on November 12-13 at the Virginia Housing Center in Glen Allen. The two-day conference brought together planning district commission professionals from across Virginia for professional development and peer networking.
CSPDC’s Director of Transportation Paula Melester served as a panelist for the closing session “Building a Better Budget,” joining David Blount, Executive Director of VAPDC and Deputy Director of Thomas Jefferson PDC, and Chip Boyles, Executive Director of George Washington Regional Commission. The panel shared practical approaches to budget development and management for regional planning organizations.
The conference covered timely topics relevant to CSPDC’s work across the region. Sessions included strategies for community engagement and stakeholder mobilization, presented by communications experts Stephanie Heinatz of Consociate Media and Susan Gaston of The Gaston Group. Jason Graham, Fredericksburg City Council member and CEO of Surava, led a practical discussion on artificial intelligence applications for local government operations.
The second day featured an in-depth session on Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act, with presentations from Maria Everett, former Executive Director of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, Stephen Clough, FOIA Officer for the Town of Warrenton, and attorney Max Hlavin from Sands Anderson. This session provided valuable guidance on transparency and public records management—critical responsibilities for regional planning agencies.
The conference provided CSPDC staff opportunities to learn from subject matter experts, exchange ideas with colleagues from other planning district commissions, and stay current on best practices in regional planning and administration. These professional development opportunities strengthen CSPDC’s capacity to serve its 21 member jurisdictions across the Central Shenandoah Valley.
Regional MPOs Hold Joint Policy Board Meeting
The Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAW-MPO) and Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (CA-MPO) came together on September 30, 2025, for their biennial Joint Policy Board Meeting at the North Fork Meeting Center in Charlottesville. This meeting represents a continuation of the collaborative partnership formalized through a 2017 Memorandum of Understanding, which established a framework for inter-regional transportation planning along the critical I-64 corridor.
The meeting featured presentations on several significant regional initiatives, including updates on the Afton Express transit service, which has seen steady ridership growth since its 2021 launch and serves stops from Staunton to Charlottesville. Other presentations topics included the newly founded Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Transit Authority (CARTA), the Virginia Statewide Rail Plan, and the Three Notched Trail project. Representatives from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Culpeper and Staunton Districts also shared progress reports on corridor improvements, including the I-64 Afton Mountain Congestion Warning System, interchange upgrades, and the new Exit 107 Park and Ride Lot scheduled to begin construction in Spring 2026. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) provided an update on statewide transit initiatives of interest to the region, such as the Virginia Breeze expansion, the update to the Coordinated Human Service Mobility Plan update, and the ongoing review of the MERIT Capital and Operating funding formulas.
The joint meeting underscores the continued commitment of both MPOs to coordinate transportation planning across jurisdictional boundaries, addressing the needs of the 37-mile I-64 corridor that serves as a vital link for inter-regional and interstate commerce. Through these collaborative efforts, the organizations continue to advance projects and initiatives that benefit the entire region’s transportation network. The SAWMPO will host the next meeting in 2027.