HRTPO has recently released the 2019 version of the State of Transportation in Hampton Roads report.  The State of Transportation report details the current status and recent trends of all facets of the transportation system in Hampton Roads, including air, rail, water, and highways.  Many aspects of the highway system are highlighted, including roadway usage, pavement condition, bridge condition, congestion levels, commuting characteristics, roadway safety, transit usage, tolling, and active transportation (such as biking and walking). 

There are a number of notable trends highlighted in the State of Transportation in Hampton Roads 2019 report, including:

• Regional roadway travel levels have grown in recent years - After years of flat or decreasing roadway travel levels in Hampton Roads, regional traffic volumes started growing again in 2015, and have since surpassed the levels seen prior to the economic downturn.  Traffic volumes in Hampton Roads grew by 5.2% between 2014 and 2018.  
• Regional air travel passenger levels continue to increase – After decreasing earlier this decade, the number of passengers using Hampton Roads airports has rebounded, increasing 19% between 2015 and 2018.
• The Port of Virginia reached another record - The Port handled nearly 22 million tons of general cargo in 2018, which is another record year for the Port.  This is 47% higher than the amount of freight handled by the Port during the peak of the recession in 2009.
• As roadway travel levels grow, the number of crashes is increasing – The number of crashes in Hampton Roads increased 16% between 2010 and 2018.  These crashes led to a 22% increase in the number of injuries and a 15% increase in the number of fatalities during this time.
• Pavement condition in Hampton Roads has greatly improved – Only 7% of state-maintained Interstate and Primary roadways in Hampton Roads had a deficient pavement condition in 2018, down from 31% as recently as 2010.
• Bridges – The number of structurally deficient bridges throughout Hampton Roads has been decreasing.  There were 60 bridges (4.7%) that were classified as structurally deficient in Hampton Roads as of April 2019, down from a high of 80 bridges (6.6%) in 2014.
• Intercity passenger rail travel increased throughout the decade – In spite of a small decrase in recent years, Amtrak ridership at stations in Hampton Roads increased 27% between 2009 and 2018.

The State of Transportation report also includes comparisons between Hampton Roads and other large metropolitan areas throughout the United States in order to examine how various aspects of the regional transportation system are performing.  HRTPO staff used the 38 other metropolitan areas throughout the country with populations between one and four million people to make these comparisons.

Among these metropolitan areas, Hampton Roads ranks particularly high or low in:

• Roadway Travel Levels – At 23.6 vehicle-miles per person per day, Hampton Roads has the 10^th lowest amount of roadway travel per capita among the 39 metropolitan areas. 
• Bridges in Good Condition - Hampton Roads has the 3^rd lowest percentage of bridges that are classified in good condition among the 39 metropolitan areas according to federal standards.  The majority of bridges in Hampton Roads are currently in fair condition. 
• Congestion Costs - Hampton Roads has the 5^th lowest costs related to congestion (such as wasted fuel and vehicle operating costs) among the comparable metropolitan areas according to the Texas Transportation Institute.
• Investments in Public Transportation - According to the National Transit Database, Hampton Roads has the 10^th lowest transit expenditures per capita among the comparable metropolitan areas.
• Commuting Across Jurisdictional Lines - Hampton Roads has the 3^rd highest percentage of commuters that work in a jurisdiction that is different than the one that they reside in among the 39 areas according to the Census Bureau. 
• Fuel Prices – Hampton Roads had the 9^th lowest average fuel prices among the 39 metropolitan areas as of July 1^st, 2019.
• Good Air Quality - According to the EPA, Hampton Roads had the fewest number of bad ozone days among all of the comparable metropolitan areas.

The State of Transportation in Hampton Roads 2019 report can be accessed by clicking on the following link:

State of Transportation in Hampton Roads 2019 Report