The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) has completed the Draft Hampton Roads Regional Bridge Study – 2012 Update report.

Bridges are a prominent part of the Hampton Roads landscape.  Major spans such as the Coleman Bridge, James River Bridge, and High Rise Bridge provide a connection between distinct areas of the region.  Bridges on the Interstate system create a limited access network designed to improve mobility into and throughout the region.  Other bridges provide a grade separation that allows traffic to cross intersections without stopping.  And smaller structures such as culverts span the myriad of creeks, swamps, and waterways in our region.

Because of the importance of bridges to the regional transportation system and concerns about the condition and funding of bridges, the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization in 2007 began analyzing regional bridges. The 2007 Hampton Roads Regional Bridge Study for the first time provided a regional analysis of bridge topics such as bridge inspections and ratings, deficient bridges, bridge funding and projects, and the impacts that the closure of major bridges would have on Hampton Roads travel patterns.

This 2012 update of the Hampton Roads Regional Bridge Study builds on the previous study. Sections regarding bridge definitions, regional summaries, bridge inspections and ratings, deficient bridges, fracture and scour critical bridges, sufficiency ratings, health indices, bridge funding, and bridge projects are included in this update. In many sections of this report, comparisons are made between the condition of bridges in Hampton Roads and those in other large metropolitan areas throughout the country. Included for the first time in this study is an estimate of the anticipated cost of sustaining bridge connections in Hampton Roads through the year 2040:  $8 billion.

Click Here to view a copy of the draft document. 

All interested parties are encouraged to review the draft report and send comments to Mr. Keith Nichols at knichols@hrtpo.org or by mail to 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia 23320. The deadline for comments on this draft report is October 17th, 2012.

Bridges in Hampton Roads by Year Built
Source:  HRTPO analysis of VDOT and FHWA data.  Data for Hampton Roads bridges as of August 2012.

Cost of Sustaining Bridge Connections, 2013 $’s
Source: HRTPO.