Growing up in the South has always made me a little defensive about transportation planning in places not on the Left Coast, but turns out Virginia might have found a way to force those pesky local governments to stop building cul-de-sacs.

How, you might ask? From the Washington Post:

“So now, Virginia will maintain only new subdivision streets that meet its connectivity, road and sidewalk requirements. That’s a big stick, because unlike in Maryland and most other states, the Transportation Department maintains and plows almost all of Virginia’s roads, including streets with as few as three homes. ”

That last part is the real kicker, since I’m not sure how many other states have such all-powerful transportation agencies. But it’s a good start.

Thanks to Brendan’s old professor-turned-blog-mentor, David Levinson, aka The Transportationist, for the heads up.