SMART SCALE is a scoring story. Notices are still local.

Virginia’s SMART SCALE process is public. Scores, applications, and Board actions live on VDOT and Commonwealth Transportation Board pages. This briefing does not republish a scoring table. What belongs here is the reminder that a statewide ranking does not replace a local hearing notice. A locality that wants comment on a typical section, a limited-access change, or a construction easement still has to say where the map is and when the room opens. Write that notice from the staff report you actually filed. If the project is “in SMART SCALE,” you may say so in one clause. You do not need a wire-service lede about Northern Virginia congestion to make the hearing legal. Publisher desk only. Not a VDOT paid placement. Not a Stripe checkout. — Publisher desk rewrite. Original Notice Nearby copy about a public topic. Not a paid $79 placement and not a Stripe checkout.