Central Virginia Transportation Authority, which provides funding for the region’s major transportation projects, hired its first executive director in August. Chet Parsons has worked in transportation planning for 26 years and has been on the authority’s board of directors for two and a half years. He spoke with Richmond magazine about his new role, transportation accomplishments and projects on the horizon.
Richmond magazine: What does it mean to you to be leading CVTA?
Central Virginia Transportation Authority Executive Director Chet Parsons (Photo courtesy Chet Parsons)
Chet Parsons: It’s a great honor. I’m looking forward to continuing the work that I’ve been doing with the CVTA board. It’s something that I’ve held near and dear because it’s the way to take all the great ideas that we’ve developed in our region for transportation improvements and actually work toward making them a reality.
RM: What are some of the biggest transportation challenges in Richmond?
Parsons: With the pandemic, a lot of needs were exposed. Changes in work patterns, where people live versus where they work — that really affected daily commutes. Some people work from home more and don’t have a traditional office schedule. We’ve been able to identify lots of different infrastructure needs across the whole spectrum of transportation, whether that’s traditional highways or people driving alone or in carpools or needs for additional or improved bus service through the GRTC Transit System and other regional partners and the need for improved bus traffic transit like the Pulse.
RM: How might CVTA encourage people to ride the bus outside the city?
Parsons: CVTA provides 15% of all regionally generated revenues that it receives directly to GRTC to provide regional public transportation services. We are excited about the opportunity that GRTC has to develop ideas and improve services, whether that means expanding coverage to new areas or improving the frequency of services to the areas already in the network. The CVTA-specific funding is for transit services that impact our nine jurisdictions, so we’re looking forward to rural transit in some shape or form and how that might be connected to existing bus lines and BRT (bus rapid transit). In terms of encouraging people to ride the bus, we’re hopeful that it becomes an option for more people due to improved proximity to a transit service, increased knowledge about available services and a more competitive choice that ranks right up there with driving alone.
RM: What is the role of CVTA in shaping regional transportation projects?
Parsons: CVTA is a transportation authority started in 2020 by the General Assembly. The purpose of the CVTA is to put transportation funding in the right place so that improvements can be made in a timely and efficient manner. We distribute funds to regionally significant projects. The CVTA has a list of criteria to define what “regionally significant” means, but it’s basically big projects that go beyond political boundaries and have the potential to impact major parts of our population.
RM: How do the improvements to public transportation help improve the quality of life for those living in the region?
Parsons: Whenever people have safe, affordable options for travel, their quality of life has a chance to improve. For example, they might be able to spend more minutes with their family, take some time each day to pursue active recreation, generate more productivity instead of driving or work a hybrid schedule that takes advantage of off-peak travel times that avoids congested roads.
RM: What projects do you hope to oversee in the coming years?
Parsons: The nine jurisdictions drive the pool of projects. In terms of regional funding, we have an application process. We rank and prioritize projects and then come up with recommendations for the elected officials that sit around the table at the CVTA. We’ve already had two rounds of regional funding. Through those two rounds, we’ve funded around 45 projects. We’re getting ready to open up our third application cycle this fall. Some of the projects that have been funded already include the Fall Line regional trail from Ashland to Petersburg. We’ve helped fund improvements to Interstate 64 through New Kent County to widen the last 29 miles between here and the beach. There’s been a number of significant projects in our cities and counties that qualify for those regional funds, as well.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
