The planning process never stops, and each plan represents a point in time communicating the region’s current transportation environment, its priorities and future direction. Each iteration of the National Capital Region Transportation Plan provided an opportunity to reflect on past successes, current situations, future considerations, and make adjustments for how the region will prepare for the future. Following the adoption of the National Capital Region Transportation Plan Visualize 2045 update in June 2022, the TPB began a comprehensive review of the region’s projects and a summary of the scenarios analyzed for consideration in the development of Visualize 2050.

The Visualize 2050 Planning and Programming Process documentation is a detailed description of the many parts of the TPB’s continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive (3C) performance-based multimodal transportation planning process that led to the Visualize 2050 plan and FY 2026-2029 Transportation Improvement Program.

Process Document Introduction

Part 1 – Policy Evolution

Part 2 – Public Engagement
and Communications

Part 3 – Air Quality Conformity Analysis

Part 4 – Emissions Reduction Activities

Part 5 – Natural Hazards
Resiliency

Part 6 – Congestion Management
Process

Part 7 – Emergency Preparedness

Part 8 – Emerging Technologies

Part 9 – Environmental
Consultation and Mitigation

Part 10 – Freight Planning

Part 11 – Housing Coordination

Part 12 – Land Use/Transportation

Part 13 – Public Health

Part 14 – Regional ITS Architecture

Part 15 – Transportation Safety Planning

Part 16 – Modeling Travel Demand
and Mobile Emissions

Part 17 – Travel and Tourism

Part 18 – Roadway Planning

Part 19 – Bus Transit Planning

Part 20 – Railway Planning

Part 21 – Bicycle, Pedestrian
and Micromobility

Part 22 – Transportation
Demand Management

Part 23 – Surface Connection
to Air Planning

Part 24 – Pipeline and Waterways

Part 25 – Future Scenarios
Planning

Part 26 – Financial Planning

Part 27 – Amendment and Administrative Modification

During the development of the Visualize 2045 update, the TPB adopted the following resolutions to shape the planning process for Visualize 2050.

The following were key documents for use in plan development.

Visualize 2050, Synthesized Policy Framework guides the development of Visualize 2050 providing a compilation of the TPB’s previous work on principles, goals and strategy development.

Visualize 2050 Scenario Planning Studies – Summary of Findings

Visualize 2050 Scenario Planning Studies – Appendix A: Detailed Findings
These documents share TPB’s relevant scenario work for agency consideration in the submission of technical inputs.

Visualize 2050 and FY 2026-2029 Transportation Improvement Program Technical Inputs Solicitation Policy Guide and the accompanying Instructional Guide provide a wealth of information to stakeholders in support of their technical inputs submissions.

Additional resources from the TPB’s Visualize 2045 plan that informed future transportation system planning are available on the Visualize 2045 website.

Throughout the planning process, many questions arose from decision-makers, member agency staff, and community members. The following were responses to frequently asked questions to provide clarity moving forward.

Visualize 2050 was developed over the course of three years. Click below to read a description of what took place each year along with key activities which occurred during the plan’s development.

The TPB, Technical Committee, Community Advisory Committee, and Access for All Advisory Committee played critical roles throughout the plan’s development. Click “View More“ below to learn how the Board and Committees were involved with the Visualize 2050 plan’s development through these meetings.