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Northern Virginia
roads hit hardest by traffic, VDOT figures show
Inadequate transportation infrastructure slows
airport access and hurts the region’s economy
Dulles ,
VA, March 2
– Roads in eight Virginia jurisdictions handled more
than five million vehicle miles of travel each day
according to the 2004 VDOT report (Figure 1).
Fairfax and Prince William Counties in Northern
Virginia top that list, with Fairfax County roads
carrying three times as much traffic per mile as the
roads in Virginia Beach, and five times as much
traffic as the roads in the cities of Richmond and
Norfolk. Northern Virginia roads carry nearly 40%
more daily traffic than the average for roads in the
Richmond and Hampton Roads areas combined, according
to an analysis of Virginia Department of
Transportation (VDOT) traffic counts conducted by
the Washington Airports Task Force (WATF) as part of
its Dulles
Airport Access Study. Further, traffic
on major highways entering Northern Virginia from
the south, west and northwest increased from 18% to
as much as 40% between 2001 and 2004 (Figure 2).
These figures were
released today by the WATF from the work being
undertaken in
Phase 2: Solutions of the
organization’s Dulles Airport Access Study. “These
simple statistics explain, if further explanation is
necessary, why it is taking people longer to reach
Dulles Airport”, Leo Schefer, President of the WATF,
said. “In today’s world, most companies locate
employment where they have good airport access. So
the economic apple doesn’t fall far from the airport
if the ground access does not work efficiently.”
“These figures also
underline yet again why Virginia needs to fund
adequate transportation improvements if it is to
sustain its economic vitality and tax base”, Schefer
said. Many reports have documented the link between
efficient transportation, surface as well as air,
and economic health.
FIGURE 1
|
Virginia Jurisdictions with Over 5 Million
DVMT in 2004 |
|
(DVMT is
Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled) |
|
|
DVMT |
Miles of Road |
DVMT/Mile |
|
Fairfax County |
24,611,279 |
2,802.21 |
8,783 |
|
Prince William County |
8,400,416 |
1,096.77 |
7,659 |
|
Henrico County |
8,060,980 |
1,404.53 |
5,739 |
|
Virginia Beach |
7,942,977 |
1,450.07 |
5,478 |
|
Chesterfield County |
7,839,843 |
1,684.09 |
4,655 |
|
City of Chesapeake |
6,348,417 |
1,047.64 |
6,060 |
|
City of Norfolk |
5,721,897 |
751.47 |
7,614 |
|
City of Richmond |
5,150,765 |
848.09 |
6,073 |
FIGURE 2
|
Traffic Counts on Major Roads Leading to
Dulles
(measured as the roads near Northern
Virginia) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Location |
Average Daily |
Average Daily |
Increase |
|
|
|
Traffic Count |
Traffic Count |
2004 |
|
|
|
2004 |
2001 |
v 2001 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Route 7 |
Loudoun/Clark |
21,000 |
15,000 |
40.00% |
|
|
County Line |
|
|
|
|
Route 15 |
Point of Rocks |
17,000 |
11,000 |
54.55% |
|
|
VA/MD Line |
|
|
|
|
Route 28 |
Fauquier/Prince |
15,000 |
11,000 |
36.36% |
|
|
William Cty Line |
|
|
|
|
Route 29 |
Fauquier/Culpeper |
27,000 |
21,000 |
28.57% |
|
|
County Line |
|
|
|
|
I-66 |
US 29 Gainesville to |
56,000 |
42,000 |
33.33% |
|
|
Haymarket |
|
|
|
|
I-95 |
Prince William/ |
135,000 |
114,000 |
18.42% |
|
|
Stafford Cty Line |
|
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