Transportation helps connect people to the places where they live, work, and play. Moreover, reliable transportation is essential in improving quality of life. Every four years, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are required to update the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), which serves as the blueprint for the region’s multimodal transportation system. The LRTP will guide regionally significant transportation investments designed to develop a well-balanced transportation system that also promotes good quality of life for area residents over the next twenty years.
Over the past three years, the HRTPO (the MPO for Hampton Roads) has been updating the next LRTP, entitled Navigating the Future to 2040. As part of the update process, HRTPO staff assesses the current transportation system in order to determine system deficiencies in regards to roadway condition, congestion, safety, etc. HRTPO staff also examines how the region may develop over the LRTP timeline (approximately twenty years) based upon projected population and employment growth. Changes in growth can impact travel demand on the regional transportation system, therefore future plans must consider alternatives to effectively address these needs; alternatives can include new or widened roadways as well as new or expanded transit services. Once alternatives are determined and prioritized, funds are identified to pay for the projects. This entire process takes approximately four years to complete and requires regional cooperation and public participation.
In September, the HRTPO Board approved the list of Committed and Candidate Transportation Projects for the 2040 LRTP. Candidate transportation projects are comprised of project suggestions submitted by public survey respondents as well as additional candidate projects collected from various regional stakeholders. This past spring, the HRTPO conducted a public web-based survey asking participants to review the list of draft candidate projects and comment as to whether the projects will ease congestion in the region and/or improve regional connectivity. Respondents were also provided another opportunity to suggest additional candidate projects. Overall, the majority of survey respondents agreed that the list of candidate projects would provide congestion relief as well as lead to greater connectivity. Public Meetings were also held in Poquoson and Chesapeake, providing interested citizens another opportunity to weigh in on the list of candidate projects being considered for inclusion in the 2040 LRTP. Citizens were asked to help determine which projects to ultimately include in the LRTP and how their tax dollars should be spent. The next milestone in the development of the 2040 LRTP will be to evaluate and prioritize these candidate transportation projects, as was done for the current 2034 LRTP, using the HRTPO Project Prioritization Tool. Draft Prioritization Scores are anticipated to be completed January 2015 and will be available for public review and comment; Prioritization Scores will aid regional decision-makers in selecting projects for the 2040 LRTP. Stay tuned as we continue to develop the Hampton Roads 2040 Long-Range Transportation Plan!
2040 LRTP documents to date:
Hampton Roads Long-Range Transportation Plan: Visioning Survey Report
Hampton Roads 2040 Socioeconomic Forecast and TAZ Allocation Report
Hampton Roads 2040 Long-Range Transportation Plan: Vision and Goals
Public Involvement documents:
HRTPO Citizens Guide to Transportation Planning
The HRTPO Public Participation Plan
The HRTPO Title VI, Environmental Justice, and Limited English Proficiency Plan
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