More and more Hampton Roads residents are encountering traffic congestion on a daily basis on their way home from work.  Have you ever thought to yourself as you are sitting in traffic that you have the worst commute in Hampton Roads?  If you travel across the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel or Hampton Boulevard and the Midtown Tunnel on a daily basis, you may be right.  As a part of the Congestion Management Process (CMP), the HRTPO staff has prepared a report that identifies the most congested locations in the region.  This process is a federal requirement in an effort to identify congested locations and to provide transportation strategies to reduce traffic congestion and enhance safety and mobility.

Within this CMP document, roadway segments with failing congestion levels have been determined for the afternoon peak hour during a typical weekday.  Congested segments of various lengths were grouped in 41 “Congested Corridors” throughout the region (12 freeways and 29 arterials).  In order to determine the most congested corridors in Hampton Roads, individual roadway segments within each Congested Corridor were scored based on five criteria: the existing level of service, freight, safety, travel speeds, and national significance.  The top 6 freeway and top 10 arterial corridors throughout the region were selected as CMP Congested Corridors based on the highest scores.  These 16 CMP Congested Corridors were analyzed in detail to determine probable causes of congestion, possible application of CMP mitigation strategies, and recommendations for congestion relief.

The final version of the Hampton Roads CMP report will be available on the HRTPO website at www.hrtpo.org upon approval at the HRTPO Board meeting on September 15, 2010.