NVTC: Background

NVTC Background

The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) was established to manage and control the functions, affairs, and property of the Northern Virginia Transportation District--which was created by the 1964 Acts of Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Chapter 630; and the Transportation District Act. The purpose of the Act is to facilitate “planning and developing a transportation system for Northern Virginia and for the safety, comfort and convenience of its citizens and for the economical utilization of public funds.”

Twenty commissioners make up NVTC’s Board of Directors. Thirteen are locally elected officials from its six member jurisdictions: Arlington (3), Fairfax (5), and Loudoun (1) counties, and the cities of Alexandria (2), Fairfax (1), and Falls Church (1). Six of the 20 commissioners are appointed from the General Assembly (2 senators and 4 delegates). The other commissioner, currently the director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT), represents the Virginia Secretary of Transportation.

NVTC is a strong advocate of adequate, stable, and reliable funding to finance public transit and also supports improved efficiency of the region's transportation system. NVTC provides a policy forum for its region and allocates over $120 million in state, regional, and federal transit assistance each year among the member jurisdictions. Its budget is funded primarily by the Commonwealth of Virginia and by its local governments. NVTC also appoints Virginia's two principal and two alternate members to the Board of Directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA or Metro) and is a co-owner of the Virginia Railway Express, appointing three voting members and an alternate to VRE’s Operations Board. NVTC was selected by the American Public Transportation Association as the outstanding government agency for 1996. APTA's 1500 members include public transit operators, state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations and suppliers.

Historical Timeline

NVTC has played a vital role in the development of the transit systems that serve Northern Virginia today. Just take a look…

1964 -- General Assembly of Virginia creates the Northern Virginia Transportation District.
1966 – Interstate compact forms the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
1969 – NVTC’s Shirley highway bus project gets its start with bus service on an exclusive bus-way.
1974 – Five General Assembly members are added to NVTC, which then goes on record to support Metrorail extension to Dulles.
1975 – Federal transit operating assistance becomes available to supplement local and state resources and NVTC secures $4 million.
1976 -- Metrorail opens for business.
1980 – The General Assembly provides a two percent motor fuels tax within NVTC’s district for Metrorail operating funds.
1984 – NVTC pursues commuter rail service in the I-95 corridor (Fredericksburg) and the I-66 corridor (Manassas).
1990 – Loudoun County joins NVTC.
1992 – The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) begins service.
1994 – NVTC completes a study documenting a 19.2% return on state investments in Metrorail through 2010.
1996 – NVTC wins the American Public Transportation Association’s Government Agency Transit Achievement Award.
2001 – NVTC sponsors a regional farebox initiative that will make local bus systems and VRE compatible with WMATA using SmarTrip card technology.
2002 – NVTC sponsors a Transit & Technology Expo highlighting the latest technologies being implemented within the region’s transit systems.
2004 - The General Assembly adds NVTC's 20th board member

For a detailed chronology of NVTC’s accomplishments, please refer to the 2007 NVTC Handbook, Appendix G.