A longtime leader in regional transportation and former City Council member was honored by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission last night (Thursday) as he prepares to depart the organization.
This month, Paul Smedberg departs both the commission and the board of directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Before serving as the governor’s representative on NVTC, Smedberg had represented Alexandria, which has two seats on the 21-member body.
Alexandria Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley assumed the top leadership spot of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) for 2026 last night (Thursday).
Bagley was unanimously elected chair of the regional body and will lead it during what is likely to be a pivotal year for transit funding across the area.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission plans to elect Alexandria Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley as its new chair this week.
Bagley currently serves as the commission’s vice-chair and is a member of its Program Advisory Committee, following her initial appointment in 2022. This is in addition to her role as chair of the Virginia Railway Express’ Operations Board.
For Sen. Adam Ebbin, the task of securing dedicated revenue streams for Northern Virginia transit is now 50% complete, as the region’s transit subcommittee approved a new spending package proposal this week.
In conversations with the Northern Virginia Growing Needs of Public Transit Joint Subcommittee, Ebbin (D-39) successfully shepherded near-unanimous support for the package, which calls for $400 million annually in new spending.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission endorsed a multi-billion-dollar regional transit funding proposal Thursday, even as Virginia faces a $153 million shortfall in its share of the plan.
NVTC’s Resolution #2571 supports the DMVMoves initiative’s proposed $500-600 million annual funding program starting in fiscal year 2028. The plan would fund Metro infrastructure improvements and establish a regional bus priority program serving Alexandria and other jurisdictions.
