Transportation in the Commonwealth of Virginia is by land, sea and air.Virginia's extensive network ofhighways andrailroads were developed and built over a period almost 400 years, beginning almost immediately after the founding ofJamestown in 1607, and often incorporating old established trails of theNative Americans.
During the colonial period, theVirginia Colony was dependent upon the waterways as avenues of commerce, andJames River Plantations such asJohn Rolfe'sVarina Farms with their ownwharfs on therivers of theFall Line (at present-dayRichmond were soon shippingtobacco and otherexport crops abroad. Other important navigable rivers in this period were theElizabeth,York, andPotomac.
By the 19th century, theVirginia Board of Public Works was funding transportation infrastructure improvements, stimulating such private enterprises as theJames River and Kanawha Canal, theChesterfield Railroad, and theValley Turnpike.Claudius Crozet's innovative tunnels under theBlue Ridge Mountains were a key link inCollis P. Huntington's railroad linking Virginia to theOhio River Valley in 1873. Soon thereafter,Pocahontas coal was riding the rails from the mountains eastbound for export via theChesapeake and Ohio,Norfolk and Western andVirginian Railways with coal piers onHampton Roads.
With urging from the state chapter founded in Roanoke in 1894 of theNational Good Roads Movement, in 1906 theVirginia General Assembly created the first State Highway Commission. In 1932, the state's role was expanded when the provisions of theByrd Road Act during theGreat Depression brought most secondary roads in the counties into the scope of state control and maintenance.
In the mid-20th century, Virginia'sHenry G. Shirley Memorial Highway inNorthern Virginia pioneeredHOV andreversible traffic lanes. Prior to the creation of theInterstate Highway System, Virginia had some other notable roads to handle heavy traffic includingMilitary Highway inSouth Hampton Roads,Mercury Boulevard on theVirginia Peninsula, andState Route 168, which extended from west of Williamsburg to the North Carolina border near the eastern edge of theGreat Dismal Swamp, includingTidewater Drive in the Norfolk area. TheRichmond-Petersburg Turnpike was built to relieve heavy traffic on US1-301 between those two cities.
In 1957, TheHampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, first of its kind, was completed, and was soon incorporated intoInterstate 64. TheChesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel completed in 1964 is the longestbridge-tunnel in the world. Interstate highwaysI-81 andI-95 are some of the busiest roads of commerce on the East Coast.
Of course, people and property continue to travel byship, as the first settlers did. TheAtlantic Ocean is accessed by the more shelteredChesapeake Bay andHampton Roads, with 5 majornavigable rivers offering a wide choice of ports and industrial sites. International shipping traffic continues to grow asintermodal port and rail facilities are expanded. The Virginia Port Authority even operates aninland port in theShenandoah Valley.
TheWright Brothers are credited with first flight just south of Virginia atKitty Hawk, North Carolina. Other early flights took place atWilloughby Spit near Norfolk. In modern times, major commercialairports are located around the state, with many additionalgeneral aviation facilities.
For those who wish to live in the past, at least for a visit, theColonial Parkway, carefully shielded from commercial development, joinsColonial Williamsburg withYorktown and Jamestown, the three points of theHistoric Triangle. By riding the toll freeJamestown Ferry service across theJames River, it is even possible to arrive atJamestown Island by water, with a similar view to that of the first colonists. Virginia'sscenic byways include theSkyline Drive inShenandoah National Park and theBlue Ridge Parkway. Even in busy Northern Virginia, a bucolic interlude is availableinside the beltway on theGeorge Washington Memorial Parkway. The state has literally dozens of other stretches of roads designated asscenic byways, andVDOT distributes a free map showing them.
TheVirginia State Highway System is an integrated system of roads maintained by theVirginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). As of 2005, the VDOT maintains 57,082 miles (91,865 km) of state highways — the third largest system in theUnited States, afterTexas andNorth Carolina.Interstate 95 andInterstate 81 are the two major north–south highways through Virginia.The Capital Beltway, Interstate 495 crosses the Potomac River in Alexandria andMcLean. TheSpringfield Interchange at the junction of I-95,I-395, and the Capital Beltway, inSpringfield, Virginia, south of Washington, D.C. has been reconstructed to improve traffic flow; widening ofWoodrow Wilson Bridge was finished in mid-2008.[1]Interstate 66, another heavily traveled route into Washington, DC, connects the Capital Beltway to I-81 atFront Royal, Virginia.Interstate 64 runs east–west through the state, from the terminus in Virginia's southeast inChesapeake running northwest intoRichmond, then west throughCharlottesville and into West Virginia and beyond.Interstate 77 runs north–south through the state running from the North Carolina state line, goes throughWytheville heads through theBig Walker Mountain and then reaches the West Virginia state line.
Virginia has an extensive network ofInterstate Highways. The Interstate Highways, totaling 1,118 miles (1,799 km) inVirginia,[2] arefreeways designated by theFederal Highway Administration and numbered by theAmerican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. They are in a special class with respect tofederal funding. These Interstate Highways are as follows:
Primary highways, totaling 8,111 miles (13,053 km),[2] consist ofU.S. Routes, designated and numbered by theAmerican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and primary State Routes, designated and numbered by VDOT.Alternate,business, andbypassspecial routes, as well as wye connections (with a "Y" suffix appended to the number), are all considered primary routes.[3]
Primary routes are generally given numbers under 600. The two exceptions -State Route 785 andState Route 895 - are numbered asInterstate Highway spurs.
Major U.S. highways in Virginia include:
Virginia has 48,305 miles (77,739 km) of secondary routes.[2] These roads, numbered 600 and up, receive less funding than primary routes. Numbers are only unique within each county, though routes that cross county lines generally keep their numbers.
Under the provisions of theByrd Road Act of 1932, the secondary roads in most of Virginia's counties are maintained by theVirginia Department of Transportation, an arrangement that a 1998 study found " unusual among the 50 states." (The study also identified such issues as drainage, speed limits, and planning and coordination of roads with development as those local leaders felt should be within their control).[4]
The streets and roads in two counties,Arlington andHenrico, as well as some of the incorporated towns, and all of the independent cities are maintained by the various localities. In the early 21st century, theVirginia General Assembly was considering legislation to allow some additional counties (most likely those in fast-growing areas) to choose to resume control and care for the secondary highways within their boundaries.
Several national parkways are located in Virginia. These include:
TheCapital Beltway circlesWashington D.C. throughNorthern Virginia,Maryland, and a tiny edge of theDistrict of Columbia. The road is signed with Inner Loop and Outer Loop designations.
TheHampton Roads Beltway extends 56 miles (90 km) on a long loop through the region, crossing the harbor on two toll-freebridge-tunnel facilities. These crossings are theHampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel betweenPhoebus in Hampton andWilloughby Spit in Norfolk and theMonitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel between Newport News and Suffolk.The Beltway connects with another Interstate highway and three arterial U.S. Highways atBower's Hill near the northeastern edge of theGreat Dismal Swamp. The road is signed with Inner Loop and Outer Loop designations.
Also in Hampton Roads, the Williamsburg area hasState Route 199, a semi-circular limited access roadway also named the Humelsine Parkway, which is sometimes locally referred to as the "Williamsburg Beltway."
TheRichmond area does not officially have a beltway. However, it has two roads that effectively form portions of a beltway, though they do not completely encircle Richmond. These areInterstate 295 in the northwest, northern, and eastern portions, andState Route 288 in the southwest and western areas.
Staunton, Virginia'sStaunton Beltway is a freeway-style 5-10 mile beltway highway making a complete circle around the city, except for about 5 miles (8.0 km) where it merges on with Interstate 81. The road is currently a 2 lane road, except for some areas to the far east and far west. In the future, the road will be expanded into a full 4 lane road.
Many urban areas in Virginia have roads thatbypass the central portions. In some cases, semi-circumferential roadways exist, such asState Route 37 in theWinchester area, andState Route 199 in theWilliamsburg andHistoric Triangle area.
_crossing_the_North_Channel_of_the_Chesapeake_Bay_in_Northampton_County%2c_Virginia.jpg)
In the Hampton Roads area, there are three bridge-tunnel complexes known as theHampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel, theMonitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel, and theChesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel in particular is atoll facility that links the region with Virginia'sEastern Shore, which carriesUS 13. Completed in 1964, at over 17 miles (27 km), it is the longestbridge-tunnel in the world. Two tunnels and numerous bridges span portions of theElizabeth River. TheJames River Bridge, opened in 1928, and rebuilt in the 1970s, spans theJames River near its mouth and north of the Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel.[5]
Virginia has many crossings of its rivers and waterways. Listed alphabetically, some of the larger named crossings include:
TheJamestown Ferry (also known as the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry) is an automobileferry system on theJames River connectingJamestown inJames City County withScotland inSurry County. It carriesState Route 31. Operated byVDOT, it is the only 24-hour state-run ferry operation in Virginia and has over 90 employees. It operates four ferryboats, thePocahontas, theWilliamsburg, theSurry, and theVirginia. The facility is toll-free.
The VDOT operates other toll-free cable-guided ferries: the Merry Point ferry, which crosses the western end of theCorrotoman River inLancaster County; the Sunnybank Ferry, crossing theLittle Wicomico River inNorthumberland County; and theHatton Ferry, one of the last two poled ferries in theUnited States.
Additionally,Hampton Roads Transit's Paddlewheel Ferry on theElizabeth River operates service (no motor vehicles) betweenPortsmouth andNorfolk and boasts the world's firstnatural gas-powered pedestrian ferry.
Northern Virginia has several commuter bus operations. They include
Virginia has a number of publicly funded providers oftransit bus andparatransit services. They include:
Subway service is available to residents ofnorthern Virginia. TheWashington Metro connects suburban communities toWashington, D.C.,Dulles International Airport, andNational Airport. Four lines operate inVirginia: theSilver Line, theOrange Line, theBlue Line, and theYellow Line.
Light rail service, calledThe Tide, started full service inNorfolk on August 19, 2011. A future extension to the Virginia Beach oceanfront was under consideration until it was voted down in a 2016 city referendum.
A study undertaken in 2010 examined the possibility of a rapid transit line along Broad Street inRichmond, for which light rail was considered. Instead, aBus Rapid Transit option was chosen for its lower capital costs, and theGRTC Pulse BRT line opened in 2018.
Intercity bus service is provided byGreyhound Lines,Megabus,OurBus, and a fewChinatown bus lines. In 2017 theVirginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation started theVirginia Breeze, contracted to Megabus, and it now has three routes, from the North Carolina border to Washington, DC.[6]
Virginia is served by passenger rail service provided byAmtrak andVirginia Railway Express commuter rail. TheVirginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) has projects underway for establishing high speed passenger rail service fromWashington, D.C., toHampton Roads andRaleigh, North Carolina, as part of theSoutheast High Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR). In addition, Virginia expands Amtrak service through grants to freight railroads to upgrade track, in exchange for more passenger carriage, and it purchases under-used or abandoned right-of-way from the railroads (rail-banking).[7] North Carolina also does this, as well as supporting Amtrak lines directly and owning a railroad,[8] and is in a rail compact with Virginia. Ridership levels tend to bear out the investment, which is incremental and focused on areas with high demand.[9] The AmtrakNortheast Regional has been enhanced toNewport News and extended to a newNorfolk station. Another new station opened inRoanoke, and theLynchburg station was rehabilitated to serve both theCrescent and theNortheast Regional. The busiest stations are in Richmond, Northern Virginia and Charlottesville.[10]Lorton, Virginia, is the northern terminus for Amtrak's non-stopAuto Train, which allows passengers to take a motor vehicle on an overnight trip between there andSanford, Florida, just outside ofOrlando. The thrice-weeklyCardinal runs through Piedmont and Western Virginia toChicago.
ATransdominion Express was proposed in the early 2000s to serveSouthside Virginia.
Virginia is served by majorClass I railroadsNorfolk Southern andCSX. There are manyshort line railroads, including theBuckingham Branch Railroad, the state's largest. Norfolk Southern, aFortune 500 company, has its headquarters in Norfolk.
Virginia is served by a number of major commercialairports.
Top Virginia airports by total passengers boarded
| Airport | Metropolitan area | City | IATA airport code | CY 2008 Boarding[11] | National rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dulles International Airport | Washington, DC | Dulles | IAD | 11,348,775 | 21 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | Washington, DC | Arlington | DCA | 8,704,466 | 28 |
| Norfolk International Airport | Hampton Roads | Norfolk | ORF | 1,786,594 | 69 |
| Richmond International Airport | Richmond | Richmond | RIC | 1,733,668 | 70 |
| Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport | Hampton Roads | Newport News | PHF | 504,292 | 116 |
Other important airports include:
The state is also home to two spaceports:
Hampton Roads has become known as the "world's greatest natural harbor". The port is located only 18 miles (29 km) from open ocean on one of the world's deepest, natural ice-free harbors. Since 1989, Hampton Roads has been the mid-Atlantic leader in U.S. waterborne foreign commerce and is ranked second nationally behind thePort of South Louisiana based on export tonnage. When import and export tonnage are combined, thePort of Hampton Roads ranks as the third largest port in the country (following the ports of New Orleans/South Louisiana and Houston. In 1996, Hampton Roads was ranked ninth among major U.S. ports in vessel port calls with approximately 2,700. In addition, this port is the U.S. leader in coal exports. The coal loading facilities in the Port of Hampton Roads are able to load in excess of 65 million tons annually, giving the port the largest, most efficient and modern coal loading facilities in the world.
The Hampton Roads region's economic base is largely port-related, including shipbuilding, ship repair, naval installations, cargo transfer and storage, and manufacturing related to the processing of imports and exports. Associated with the ports' military role are almost 50,000 federal civilian employees.
The harbor of Hampton Roads is an important highway of commerce, especially for the cities ofNorfolk,Portsmouth, andNewport News. In Portsmouth, a few miles up the Elizabeth River,Norfolk Naval Shipyard is locatedNewport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company is located a short distance up theJames River. There are also several smaller shipyards, numerous docks and terminals. Massivecoal loading piers and facilities were established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by theChesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O),Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W), andVirginian Railway (VGN). The latter two were predecessors of theNorfolk Southern Railway, aClass I railroad headquartered in Norfolk that exports coal from a large facility atLambert's Point on the Elizabeth River.CSX Transportation now serves the former C&O facility at Newport News.
Virginia has extensive waterways. In addition to the lower portion of theChesapeake Bay and the harbor of Hampton Roads, navigable rivers include:
TheAtlantic Intracoastal Waterway passes through eastern Virginia.
The state operates aninland port facility nearFront Royal.
Interstate - 1,118 miles (1,799 km) of four-to-ten lane highways that connect states and major cities. Primary - 8,111 miles (13,053 km) of two-to-six-lane roads that connect cities and towns with each other and with interstates. Secondary - 48,305 miles (77,739 km) of local connector or county roads. These generally are numbered 600 and above. Arlington and Henrico counties maintain their own county roads. Frontage - 333 miles (536 km) of frontage roads. A separate system includes 10,561 miles (16,996 km) of urban streets, maintained by cities and towns with the help of state funds. Virginia's cities are independent of its counties. Henrico County (1,279 miles) and Arlington County (359 miles) maintain their own roads with VDOT funds. There is an additional 39 miles (63 km) of toll roads maintained by others.
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