Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe has announced that the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) has approved the state’s final six-year improvement programme, allocating $13.1bn for transportation upgrades.

The improvements to be undertaken include road, bridge, transit and bicycle/pedestrian paths among other works throughout Virginia. The announcement comes after considering public comments and their transportation priorities.

"The CTB adjusted the program to reflect the needs and priorities of local officials, residents and the travelling public, who use and know their transportation system better than anyone else."

Governor McAuliffe said that he directed transportation secretary Aubrey Layne and the CTB to increase public involvement by getting out into the communities and holding hearings in nine regions across the state to solicit public input, after the draft programme was made available to the public in April.

"Nearly 400 people attended and 1,620 oral and written comments were collected. From that information, the CTB adjusted the program to reflect the needs and priorities of local officials, residents and the travelling public, who use and know their transportation system better than anyone else," McAuliffe said.

Some of the project highlights include funding improvements in the Metro 2025 programme, a package of improvements to route 29 through Charlottesville and.the expansion of VRE platforms in Prince William County.

Work is scheduled to start on 1 July and the programme will be updated later this year.