Keith Nichols, Principal Transportation Engineer
Did you know that rail and air travel passenger levels in Hampton Roads are at all-time highs? As is the amount of freight handled by the Port of Virginia? Or that the number of bridges in poor condition in Hampton Roads is half of what they were a decade ago?
Learn about this information and more in HRTPO’s 2025 State of Transportation in Hampton Roads Report. The 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 and bridge condition, congestion levels, commuting characteristics, roadway safety, transit usage, and biking and walking.
Some of the notable trends highlighted in the State of Transportation in Hampton Roads 2025 report include:
Regional roadway travel remains below pre-pandemic levels – Based on data collected at 80 continuous count stations located throughout the region, regional traffic volumes decreased by 0.6% between 2023 and 2024, and roadway travel levels still remain about 4% below the levels seen prior to the pandemic in 2019.
- The condition of bridges continues to improve – There were 34 bridges (2.7%) that were classified as being in poor condition in Hampton Roads as of 2025. This is half the number of bridges (68) that were in poor condition in 2016.
- Regional air travel passenger volumes have reached levels – Over 2.5 million passengers boarded flights at commercial service airports in Hampton Roads, and passenger levels at Norfolk International Airport reached another record high in 2024.
- Cargo handled at the Port of Virginia also exceeded records - The Port handled nearly 27 million tons of general cargo in 2024. This is 33% higher than the amount of freight handled by the Port in 2015, and the Port of Virginia has experienced higher growth rates in cargo levels than any other major East Coast port since the pandemic.
Intercity passenger rail travel remains well above historical levels – There were a total of 421,000 passengers who boarded or departed Amtrak trains in Hampton Roads in Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024. This is just below the record set the previous year and is 70% higher than the ridership in FFY 2022. This growth largely occurred as a third train – which connects to Richmond, Washington D.C., and the Northeast Corridor – was added each day at the Norfolk station in July 2022.
- Public transportation use is increasing – There were over 11 million trips taken on public transportation in Hampton Roads in 2024. While this still remains below the levels seen prior to the pandemic, ridership in Hampton Roads increased by 35% from 2023 to 2024.
The State of Transportation report also includes comparisons between Hampton Roads and other large metropolitan areas across the United States to examine how various facets of the regional transportation system are performing. HRTPO staff used the 40 other metropolitan areas throughout the country with populations between one and four million people to make these comparisons.
The State of Transportation in Hampton Roads 2025 report can be accessed by clicking on the following link: