Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Virginia Tech Wins Gold Award for Commuting Effort

  • 01/11/16

BLACKSBURG, VA – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) earned its seventh straight gold award from the Best Workplaces for Commuters Race for Excellence by increasing alternative transportation participation and improving commuter resources.

During the past year, the university has:

  • Increased the number of transit service routes from the Blacksburg campus and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute in Roanoke.
  • Increased sales of carpool permits by 15 percent for employee permits and 3.4 percent for student permits.
  • Supported the growth of its Office of Alternative Transportation into a newly autonomous department.
  • Seen an exponential increase in the number of individuals who visit the Hokie Bike Hub, a bicycle maintenance and commuter education center.
  • Installed shared-lane bicycle pavement markings, sometimes called "sharrows."
  • Started work to develop a bike share system on the Blacksburg campus.
  • Continued to work toward the completion of a new Parking and Transportation Master Plan.
  • Started work on an upcoming multi-modal educational campaign, the second iteration of the university's Commuter Survey and the first annual Commuter Challenge, all of which will debut in the spring.

To be eligible for a Race for Excellence award, an organization must first be recognized as a Best Workplace for Commuters by meeting the National Standard of Excellence in commuter benefits, a standard established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and maintained by the National Center for Transit Research.

The Best Workplaces for Commuters program encourages sustainable transportation and recognizes organizations that have taken steps to offer transportation options such as vanpool and transit benefits for their employees.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

Featured

  • Houston-Area High School Receives Best Project Award from ENR

    Tomball West High School near Houston, Texas, recently received a K–12 Education Best Project Award in Engineering News-Record’s 2026 Texas & Southeast Best Projects Awards, according to a press release. The new facility was completed in May and opened its doors to students for the fall 2026 semester.

  • Construction Begins on 100+ Acre K–12 Campus Designed for Lakota Culture

    The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) and the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School District in Eagle Butte, S.D., recently broke ground on a new K–12 campus that will cover more than 100 acres and serve students and families across 1,600 square miles, according to a news release.

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.

  • University of Washington Opens New Broadcast Studio

    The University of Washington in Seattle, Wash., recently announced the opening of Sundodger Studios, a new broadcast, production, and content facility, according to a news release. The university partnered with Anthony James Partners for the design and development of the studio, which will host about 100 live broadcasts and 120 live videoboard shows per year.