About the Plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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GoDanville2050, the Danville region’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), is the community’s roadmap for the next 25+ years of transportation improvements. The plan covers the City of Danville and parts of Pittsylvania County, looking at all modes of travel, including roads, public transit, biking, walking, and freight. It lays out a vision and a list of projects to improve safety, accessibility, and efficiency on our transportation network, from streets and bridges to bus routes, sidewalks, and bike paths. The LRTP is federally required for metropolitan areas and must be updated every five years to stay current. Keeping an updated LRTP aligns our transportation projects with community goals and positions those projects for state and federal funding opportunities.

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Updating the Plan

Our region is growing and changing. Updating the LRTP now allows us to set new goals that reflect current community needs and future growth. For example, Danville’s recent economic developments (the casino, riverfront redevelopment, housing initiatives, etc.) are creating new travel demands in our area. By revisiting the plan, we can ensure upcoming transportation investments support these developments and align with the City’s latest Comprehensive Plan. An updated LRTP also lets us incorporate new data and public input. In short, this update is our chance to address today’s transportation issues, anticipate tomorrow’s needs, and make sure the plan stays on track with important priorities. It also gives us an opportunity to re-examine previous projects and add fresh ideas before moving forward with funding and construction.

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Who's Involved

The LRTP update is a team effort led by the Danville-Pittsylvania Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in partnership with consultants EPR, P.C., and a broad range of regional stakeholders. The MPO is the regional agency responsible for transportation planning, and it works closely with the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County staff to develop the plan. State agencies like the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) are providing data and guidance. We’re also collaborating with local first responders, the school system, major employers, and community groups (such as health, environmental, and disability advocacy organizations) to make sure many perspectives are heard. Elected officials and the MPO’s committees (Technical and Policy boards) will guide the process and ultimately approve the plan. Most importantly, the public is a key partner in this effort. Your local knowledge and ideas will shape the LRTP at every stage.

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The Planning Process

Developing the 2050 LRTP is a multi-step process that will take about 18 months. Below is an overview of how the plan will come together:

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1. Set Goals & Priorities: Confirm and update the plan’s guiding goals (for example, improving safety, relieving congestion, supporting the economy, equity, efficiency, etc.). These goals will define what the region wants to achieve with its transportation system.

2. Collect Data & Feedback: Gather information on current conditions such as crash locations, traffic volumes, and transit ridership, and collect public input on problems and needs. Your feedback (via surveys, meetings, etc.) will help highlight issues that numbers alone might miss.

3. Identify Needs: Using the data and community input, identify key transportation needs and problem areas. This could include unsafe intersections, missing sidewalks, traffic bottlenecks, or gaps in transit service – any priority issues that the plan should address.

4. Develop & Score Projects: Brainstorm solutions and projects to address the identified needs. Each project idea will be evaluated and scored based on how well it meets the plan's goals. This step produces a ranked list of projects.

5. Draft the Plan & Review: Prepare a draft LRTP document that includes the proposed projects, strategies, and an investment plan through 2050. The draft will be published for review, and we'll invite the public to give feedback on it to make sure it reflects the community’s vision.

6. Finalize & Adopt the Plan: Incorporate feedback from the public and stakeholders into the final plan. The goal is to formally adopt the final 2050 LRTP by December 2026, so that it can guide transportation improvements and funding requests going forward. Once adopted, the plan’s recommendations will feed into shorter-term funding programs and projects can begin moving toward design and construction.

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Throughout this process, we’ll document all public input and show how your feedback influenced the plan’s recommendations. Transparency and community collaboration are central to GoDanville2050’s approach.