Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study, Final Report, 2010
Interstate 95 Multimodal Corridor
Traversing the length of Virginia from North Carolina to Maryland, the I-95 Corridor is a
critical link in the national freight transportation system and connects to it via several
highway, rail, seaport, and airport facilities, including I-64, I-66, U.S. 58, U.S. 17, and
U.S. 460; Norfolk Southern and CSX rail lines; the Port of Richmond; and Dulles,
Washington Reagan National, and Richmond Airports. With its large professional and
business services and information services sectors the I-95 Corridor’s economy is less
dependent than Virginia as a whole on manufacturing. About 54 percent of tonnage moving
within the I-95 Corridor is pass-through freight.
Recommendations to improve the flow of freight through the I-95 Corridor include the
widening and addition of HOV/HOT lanes on I-95 from Fredericksburg north to the
Maryland State line, the widening of I-95 north of Richmond and south of Petersburg, and
the widening of I-95 between U.S. 58 and the North Carolina State line; and the construction of the U.S. 460 Expressway from Suffolk to I-295.
Geographic Definition
Functional Classification: Interstate
Interstate 95 (I-95) traverses more than 1,900 miles and 15 states, from
Florida to Maine, terminating at the Canadian border. It is the primary
north-south routes for travelers and commerce along the eastern seaboard.
In Virginia, I-95 runs parallel to U.S. 1 and 301 from North Carolina
through Richmond to the State of Maryland. The Virginia segment of I-95
is 179 miles long. The I-95 Corridor is comprised of the following
jurisdictions (see Figure 1):]
Cities
•
Alexandria
•
Falls Church
•
Manassas Park
•
Colonial Heights
•
Fredericksburg
•
Petersburg
•
Emporia
•
Hopewell
•
Richmond
•
Fairfax
•
Manassas
Counties
•
Arlington
•
Greensville
•
Prince William
•
Brunswick
•
Hanover
•
Spotsylvania
•
Caroline
•
Henrico
•
Stafford
•
Chesterfield
•
King George
•
Sussex
•
Dinwiddie
•
Mecklenburg
•
Fairfax
•
Prince George
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Significant rail facilities within the Corridor include CSX’s north-south main line
(National Gateway) that parallels the I-95 Corridor through Virginia. Norfolk Southern’s
Heartland Corridor crosses the I-95 Corridor in Petersburg and the Crescent Corridor’s
Piedmont line crosses the I-95 Corridor in Northern Virginia. The Buckingham Branch
Railroad parallels I-95 between for the short distance between Richmond and Doswell
before turning west toward Charlottesville and Clifton Forge.
The Port of Richmond is a 121-acre domestic and international multimodal freight transportation hub on the James River that handles containers, break-bulk, bulk, and livestock
cargo for waterborne, rail, and truck shippers throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. The
recently inaugurated “64 Express” barge service (a Marine Highway Initiative) now
operates between Hampton Roads and Richmond.
The two largest cargo airports for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Dulles International
and Richmond International, are located within the I-95 Corridor.
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Figure 1. The Interstate 95 Multimodal Corridor
Economic Profile
The growth of freight transportation volumes in Virginia and the I-95 Corridor will be
influenced by the interplay of a variety of factors that will have a bearing on transportation
demand. These factors include population growth, changes in national and global logistics
patterns, and the evolution of the Corridor’s industry structure. Industries, ranging from
manufacturing to construction and high-tech to finance have specific freight transportation
needs, and their growth will affect freight transportation demand on the I-95 Corridor.
I-95 is the principal Eastern Seaboard Interstate and the Virginia segment links the fastgrowing Southeast to the Boston-Washington megalopolis, the largest regional economy in
the world. The I-95 Corridor, both in terms of size and diversity, plays a pivotal role in the
Virginia economy, capturing the intensive services and technology industries congregating
in Greater Washington, D.C., higher education, finance and government in Richmond,
military facilities, and distribution and warehousing. I-95 represents a crucial component
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of Virginia’s and the East Coast’s transportation system and its ability to carry freight
efficiently will affect, positively or negatively, the overall competitiveness of the State’s
economy. The population growth and industry trends that will influence the freight
transportation demands placed on the I-95 Corridor are reviewed in this section.
Population Growth
Population growth has a direct impact on freight transportation demand and I-95 encompasses the fastest growing parts of Virginia. More people take more trips, require more
services, and need more goods to sustain themselves. The I-95 Corridor is experiencing
rapid population growth, 10.6 percent from 2000 to 2007, faster than the Nation’s
(+7.2 percent) and the State’s (+9.0 percent). As of 2007, the I-95 Corridor was home to
3,212,210 residents and accounted for 41.7 percent of Virginia’s population. According to
state population projections, the I-95 Corridor is expected to add about one million people
during the next 23 years (see Figure 2) and will reach a population of 4,211,676 by 2030
(this growth is the equivalent to adding the present-day population of Fairfax County to
the Corridor). The rate of projected population growth in the I-95 Corridor through 2030 is
higher than either Virginia’s or the Nation’s. The I-95 Corridor will account for just under
half of Virginia’s net population gain between now and 2030.
The I-95 Corridor’s fast pace of population growth puts pressure on the facility. In particular, the Corridor must accommodate the mobility, consumer, and logistics needs of an
increasing number of residents, workers, and businesses, and do so reliably, safely, and
efficiently within a densely settled environment. For these reasons, the decision-making
process regarding the future of freight transportation-related infrastructure and services
on I-95 needs to incorporate and respond to markedly strong growth conditions.
Figure 2. Historic and Forecast Population Growth
1990-2030
4,500,000
4,000,000
3,500,000
3,000,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
0
1990
Part III - I-95 Corridor - Page 4
2000
2010
2020
2030
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Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study, Final Report, 2010
Source: Virginia Employment Commission.
Economic Structure
The I-95 Corridor’s defining economic characteristic compared to the nation and Virginia
is the relative size of its professional and business services sector, and to a much lesser
extent, the size of its finance and information services (e.g., communications, Internet, publishing, and broadcasting) industries. These economic strengths are concentrated in the I-95
Corridor and have helped to set Virginia apart, both nationally and internationally, in terms
of overall economic dynamism. In 2005, professional and business services accounted for
24 percent of the Corridor’s jobs compared to 13 percent and 17 percent, respectively, for the
nation and Virginia. Figure 3 illustrates the contribution of each major sector to total jobs
in the I-95 Corridor and the relatively large size of the Corridor’s professional and business services sector can be easily seen. Service industries, including professional and
business services and information, tend to move smaller, more time-sensitive goods. The
trucking and air industries have historically dominated these types of shipments. The I-95
Corridor’s proximity to major airports in Northern Virginia (Washington-Dulles and
Reagan Washington-National) and Richmond, provides the Corridor’s businesses with
quick access to markets worldwide, a comparative strength for the movement of goods
and people. Growth in service industries is driven by increasing business and consumer
demand. Businesses require increasingly efficient communication, finance, transportation,
and distribution services in order to develop competitive advantages and as essential
inputs into the production of goods and other services. For consumers, as personal income
grows so does demand for services such as banking, telecommunications, tourism, and
entertainment.
Figure 3. Economic Structure
Shares of Employment by Major Industry Sector,
United States, Virginia, and I-95
Industry Share of Total Employment
25%
Freight Intensive
20%
Goods Movement
15%
Retail
10%
5%
0%
Educational
Retail
Manufacturing
Financial
Transportation
and Utilities
and Health
Trade
Activities
Services Professional
Leisure and
Construction
Government
Other
and
Hospitality
Services
Business
Services
Percent of U.S. Employment
Percent of VA Employment
Wholesale
Trade
Natural
Resources
and Mining
Information
Unclassified
Percent of I-95 Employment
Source: Virginia Employment Commission and U.S. Department of Labor.
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The I-95 Corridor also possesses numerous nationally renowned historical attractions
resulting in a significant tourism (leisure and hospitality) industry. In 2005, the tourism
industry accounted for 10 percent of the Corridor’s jobs. Tourism-related industries depend
on trucking to deliver supplies reliably to restaurants and hotels.
Finance also has a discernable concentration in the I-95 Corridor relative to both Virginia
and the United States. The Richmond area is a recognized national center of banking and
insurance, including the operations of numerous corporate and division headquarters.
With its services sectors commanding a disproportionately large part of its jobs, the I-95
Corridor’s economy is less dependent than the U.S. and Virginia economies on manufacturing. However, south of Greater Washington, several areas, including the cities of
Richmond, Hopewell, and Petersburg as well as Mecklenburg, Dinwiddie, and Hanover
Counties, have more concentrated manufacturing industries. Manufacturing is more
dependent on transportation than most other industry sectors and counts on the reliability
and connectivity provided by the road, air, and rail networks to produce and deliver
products. Manufacturers keep inventories low to reduce costs and this requires a
dependable, multimodal supply chain. The use of I-95 as a reliable and time-efficient connector to airports, markets, ports, and suppliers is crucial to the success and
competitiveness of the I-95 Corridor’s manufacturers, whether in Virginia or located
elsewhere along the East Coast.
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Concentration of Goods Movement and Freight-Intensive Industries
The relationship between freight transportation activity and the I-95 Corridor’s economy is
strong and multifaceted. For example, “freight-intensive” industries, including manufacturing, construction, and
agriculture rely heavily on the
Freight-Related Clusters
efficient movement of goods,
both for the outbound shipWhile an efficient multimodal transportation system is
important to every sector of the economy, certain
ments of their products to reach
sectors are particularly dependent on the transportation
worldwide markets, as well as
system for freight movement. These sectors are
for inbound shipments of
grouped into three clusters as defined below:
intermediate goods required for
production.
These freightFreight-Intensive Industries includes most subsectors
intensive industries contributed
within natural resources and mining, all construction,
some 145,000 jobs to the
and manufacturing.
Corridor in 2005, accounting for
about 35 percent of the Virginia
Goods Movement includes the wholesale trade sector
total (see Figure 4). In addition
and some subsectors within transportation and utilities.
to
freight
transportation’s
Retail Trade includes all subsectors within the retail
importance to these freighttrade sector.
intensive industries, efficient
multimodal freight transportation systems can help to minimize the cost of consumer goods, benefiting consumers and
the retail industry. In 2005, the I-95 Corridor included some 180,000 retail jobs.
Transportation infrastructure improvements that reduce costs by either: 1) lowering travel
times; or by 2) increasing the reliability of on-time shipments translate directly into
benefits for the I-95 and Virginia economies. Finally, the “goods movement” industry (e.g.,
trucking, distribution, airports, etc.) also provides a significant number of jobs and income
to I-95 Corridor residents working for the businesses that process, ship, and deliver goods
bound for destinations within Virginia, as well as to other locations within the United
States and throughout the world. The goods movement industry employed nearly 72,000
people in the I-95 Corridor in 2005. The I-95 Corridor includes several major distribution
facilities for consumer products, food, and electronics companies. Combined, the freightintensive, retail, and goods movement industries account for 27 percent of total I-95
employment, somewhat lower than the 31 percent average for Virginia, overall (see
Figures 5 and 6).
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Figure 4. Employment by Freight-Related Cluster in I-95 Corridor
and Virginia
Employment
450,000
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Freight Intensive Industries
Goods Movement
I-95 Employment
Retail
VA Employment
Source: Virginia Employment Commission.
Figure 5. Share of Employment
by Cluster
I-95 Corridor
Retail
12%
Figure 6. Share of Employment
by Cluster
Virginia
Freight
Intensive
Industries
10%
Retail
13%
Goods
Movement
5%
Remaining
Industries
73%
Freight
Intensive
Industries
13%
Goods
Movement
5%
Remaining
Industries
69%
Source: Virginia Employment Commission.
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Commodity Profile
The two primary measures of freight transportation activity are tonnage and value. Value
is a good indicator of economic activity associated with freight transportation, while tonnage is a good indicator of the demand that freight movement places on transportation
infrastructure.
Freight also moves in different directions:
•
Inbound freight is moved from somewhere outside of the I-95 Corridor to a destination
within the I-95 Corridor.
•
Outbound freight is moved from somewhere within the I-95 Corridor to a destination
outside of the I-95 Corridor.
•
Internal freight is moved from one point within the I-95 Corridor to another point
within the I-95 Corridor.
•
Pass-through freight is moving from an origin outside of the I-95 Corridor to a destination outside the I-95 Corridor while at some point passing through the Corridor.
Figures 7 and 8 show that about 77 percent of the total tonnage moving into, out of, within,
or through the I-95 Corridor is hauled by trucks with most of the remaining hauled by rail.
A large majority of the value (99 percent) is hauled by trucks.
Figure 7. Mode Share of Total Corridor
Freight Tonnage
2004
Water
1%
Truck
77%
Air
0%
Figure 8. Mode Share of Total
Corridor Freight Value
2004
Water
0.1%
Air
0.1%
Truck
99.1%
Rail
0.7%
Rail
22%
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Figures 9 and 10 describe the direction of travel for Virginia’s domestic commodities along
the I-95 Corridor, based on tonnage and on value.
Figure 9. Directional Proportion of Total
Corridor Freight Tonnage
2004
Figure 10. Directional Proportion of
Total Corridor Freight Value
2004
Through
54.2%
Through
56.9%
Inbound
27.9%
Inbound
24.4%
Outbound
14.3%
Outbound
11.7%
Internal
6.2%
Internal
4.4%
By tonnage, the leading commodities moving domestically are nonmetallic minerals and
secondary traffic (U.S. warehouse and distribution) followed by municipal waste; lumber
and wood products; and food and kindred products. By value, secondary traffic is by far
the leading commodity, followed by transportation equipment.
Table 1. Critical Commodities Inbound, Outbound, and
Internal on Interstate 95 Corridor by Tons
2004
Commodity
Tons
Percent Share
Nonmetallic Minerals
45,199,828
23%
Secondary Moves
24,318,686
12%
Municipal Waste
18,365,771
9%
Lumber/Wood
16,757,019
8%
Food/Kindred
15,053,164
8%
All Others
79,479,303
40%
Total
199,173,772
100%
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Table 2. Critical Commodities Inbound, Outbound, and
Internal on Interstate 95 Corridor by Value
2004
Commodity
Dollars
Percent Share
Secondary Moves
$158,879,980,916
38%
Transportation Equipment
$83,155,830,804
20%
Electrical Machinery/Equipment/
Supplies
$27,969,880,379
7%
Machinery Excluding Electrical
$20,117,229,539
5%
Chemicals/Allied
$19,542,732,036
5%
All Others
$109,775,926,922
26%
Total
$419,441,580,595
100%
For trade in Virginia’s critical commodities – that is, inbound and outbound tonnage,
excluding pass-through traffic – the leading trading partner regions are mainly within the
Commonwealth followed by the southern east coast states and the Illinois/Indiana/Ohio/
Michigan region.
Table 3. Trading Partners by Tonnage for the Interstate 95 Corridor
Domestic Inbound and Outbound
2004
Partner Region
Tons
Percent
Rest of Virginia
67,239,120
41%
South Atlantic
40,299,544
25%
East North Central
13,880,804
9%
Middle Atlantic
12,131,787
7%
East South Central
9,610,098
6%
New England
9,302,516
6%
West South Central
4,881,616
3%
West North Central
1,852,279
1%
Canada/Mexico
1,228,768
1%
Mountain
1,094,841
0.7%
All Others
950,803
0.6%
162,472,178
100%
Grand Total
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Table 4. Trading Partners by Value for the Interstate 95 Corridor
Domestic Inbound and Outbound
2004
Partner Region
Dollars
Percent
Rest of Virginia
$151,726,091,444
40%
South Atlantic
$71,896,346,716
19%
East North Central
$34,679,544,033
9%
West South Central
$28,941,012,527
8%
New England
$28,507,263,775
8%
Middle Atlantic
$23,608,530,870
6%
East South Central
$19,136,504,676
5%
West North Central
$5,850,443,470
2%
Pacific
$4,167,001,186
1%
Europe
$3,224,199,915
1%
All Others
$5,357,959,424
1%
$377,094,898,036
100%
Grand Total
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Transportation System Facilities and Performance
The I-95 Corridor contains an extensive highway and freight rail network with centers of
activity in Petersburg, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. Major freight transportation
connections along I-95 include I-85 (in Petersburg), I-64 (in Richmond), I-495 (in Fairfax
County), U.S. 58 (in Emporia), U.S. 460 (in Petersburg), and U.S. 17 (in Fredericksburg).
Table 5. Interstate 95 Intermodal Connections
Significant Roadway Connections
Significant Airport Connections
•
I-295
•
Dulles International Airport
•
I-85
•
Washington National Airport
•
I-64
•
I-395
• Richmond International
Airport
•
I-495
•
U.S. 58
•
U.S. 301
•
U.S. 460
•
U.S. 1
•
U.S. 17
Significant Port Connections
•
Port of Richmond
Highway
I-95 is a four-lane limited access Interstate highway in southern Virginia, a mostly six-lane
Interstate highway through central Virginia, and an eight-or-more lane Interstate through
northern Virginia. The number of lanes, along with roadway geometry, intersection
spacing, etc., determines how much traffic a given roadway segment can accommodate in
a given period of time and provides a sense of the capacity of the roadway. A summary of
the lane widths of I-95 is shown in Table 6.
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Table 6. Interstate 95 Summary of Lane Widths
Section
Length
Width (Total Lanes)
Greensville County
15.1
4
City of Emporia
1.3
4
Sussex County
17.3
4
Prince George County
12.2
4
City of Petersburg
5.1
4
City of Colonial Heights
3.0
6
Chesterfield County
11.6
6
City of Richmond
11.2
6
Henrico County
5.9
6
Hanover County
21.3
6
Caroline County
15.2
6
Spotsylvania County
12.5
6
City of Fredericksburg
1.9
6
Stafford County
17.3
6
Prince William County
12.7
8
Fairfax County
11.0
8
City of Alexandria
4.7
8
Virginia maintains a statewide vehicle count program on its major highways, including
collection and/or estimation of truck counts and percentages. Figure 11 shows the average Virginia AADT (all vehicle types) depicted as columns, with the corresponding
average truck percentages as points.
I-95 AADT varied from around 35,000 in Sussex County to over 150,000 in Fairfax County
in 2007. Truck percentages varied from less than five percent in Fairfax County to more
than 17 percent in Greensville County.
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Figure 11. Average AADT and Truck Percentages
160,000
18%
140,000
16%
14%
120,000
12%
100,000
10%
80,000
8%
60,000
6%
40,000
4%
20,000
2%
0%
0
Fairfax
County
Stafford
County
Prince William
County
Spotsylvania
County
City of
Fredericksburg
Caroline
County
Weighted AADT
Hanover
County
City of
Richmond
Henrico
County
City of
Petersburg
Chesterfield
County
Sussex
County
Prince George
County
Greensville
County
Total CU Truck Percent
Table 7 describes average bridge and pavement condition and performance across all I-95
highway segments. The reference “IRI” stands for the International Roughness Index. IRI
measures the cumulative deviation from a smooth surface in inches per mile – in other
words, the sum of all the up-and-down road imperfections, from potholes to barely noticeable bumps or road roughness, which a vehicle will encounter over one mile. The
ranges of values correspond to the pavement condition as follows (IRI in inches per mile):
very good (0 to 85); good (86 to 110); fair (111 to 140); poor (141 to 175); very poor (more
than 175). There also are road condition measures that apply to bridges; as presented in
the National Bridge Inventory, “red” is the lowest of the three levels of “General Condition
Ratings” that can be assigned to a bridge. Overall I-95’s pavement quality is considered
very good with an average rating of 85.
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Table 7. Interstate 95 Road Condition by Jurisdiction
2003 Weighted IRI
Percent of Bridges in “Red”
Condition
Overall
85
0.25%
Greensville County
53
0%
City of Emporia
50
0%
Sussex County
70
0%
Prince George County
91
0%
City of Petersburg
94
0%
Chesterfield County
84
0%
City of Colonial Heights
84
0%
Henrico County
108
0%
City of Richmond
97
4%
Hanover County
87
0%
Caroline County
76
0%
Spotsylvania County
74
0%
City of Fredericksburg
76
0%
Stafford County
92
0%
Prince William County
97
0%
Fairfax County
102
0%
City of Alexandria
165
0%
Physical Jurisdiction
Another important aspect of a freight transportation system is its intermodal terminal
network. These facilities provide the interface between freight rail and other transportation modes, including highway and water, and permit the transfer of goods from one
mode to another. Figure 12 displays the rail-highway intermodal terminals along I-95, as
well as additional system facilities.
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Figure 12. Interstate 95 Intermodal Facilities
Rail
The Commonwealth of Virginia’s rail system is operated by 10 freight railroads and two
passenger operators. Of the 9 freight railroads, two are Class I national railroads and the
remaining eight are Class III or terminal/switching railroads (see Table 8).
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Table 8. Virginia’s Freight Railroads
Freight Railroad Name
Class I
Class III
Terminal/
Switching
Miles Operated
in Virginia
Norfolk Southern Corporation
√
2,100
CSX Transportation
√
1,051
Buckingham Branch Railroad
√
278
Bay Coast Railroad
√
68
Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad
√
29
Winchester and Western Railroad
√
26
Commonwealth Railway, Inc.
√
17
North Carolina and Virginia Railroad
√
4
Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line
√
4
The majority of Virginia’s freight rail track infrastructure is in the possession of the two
Class I railroads, Norfolk Southern (approximately 60 percent) and CSX (approximately
30 percent). CSX’s north-south main line (National Gateway) roughly parallels the I-95
Corridor through Virginia. Norfolk Southern’s Heartland Corridor, crosses the I-95
Corridor in Petersburg and the Crescent Corridor’s Piedmont line crosses the I-95 Corridor
in Northern Virginia. The Buckingham Branch Railroad parallels I-95 between for the
short distance between Richmond and Doswell before turning west toward Charlottesville
and Clifton Forge.
Bottlenecks
Virginia’s freight transportation system contains segments that are stressed or over capacity
to the point that they are defined as bottlenecks. Bottlenecks – whether existing or
emerging – prohibit the efficient flow of freight through the system and across the
Commonwealth. Currently, Virginia’s primary freight transportation bottlenecks generally
correspond to:
•
Major urbanized regions with high levels of congestion;
•
Intersections of major highway arteries; and
•
Rail system points where infrastructure provides inadequate freight transportation
capacity or dimension, especially where growing freight and passenger needs must be
accommodated over shared infrastructure.
Many sections of I-95 in central (Richmond/Petersburg) and Northern Virginia are considered freight transportation bottlenecks as shown in Figures 13 and 14.
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Figure 13. Richmond Area Transportation Bottlenecks
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Figure 14. Northern Virginia Freight Transportation Bottlenecks
Bottlenecks occur on the railroad lines within the I-95 Corridor in the Richmond area.
These are shown in blue in Figure 15.
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Figure 15. Virginia Freight Transportation Bottlenecks
Waterways and Ports
Virginia boasts the single best water transportation asset on the East Coast of the United
States: the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Cargo terminals are located predominately
along the natural deepwater harbors formed by the confluence of the rivers Elizabeth,
James, and Nansemond. The marine terminals at Hampton Roads are the only U.S. facilities on the Atlantic coast capable of handling next-generation “mega containerships,”
which require drafts of 50 feet or more.
Benefits from this natural harbor extend past the Hampton Roads area. Waterborne
freight entering Hampton Roads continues on to the Port of Richmond up the James River
and north to Baltimore and other major destinations. The “64 Express” service, for
example, makes use of the navigable James River to move containers by barge between
Richmond and Hampton Roads. There are over 350 miles of navigable channels with
drafts exceeding 22 feet. Over 5,000 commercial vessel sailings occur annually destined for
Hampton Roads. More than 10,000 sailings occur annually when military vessels and
commercial vessels destined for Baltimore are included.
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The I-95 Corridor accesses the terminal facilities near the Port of Richmond on the James
River.
Distribution Centers
Virginia has experienced marked growth in large-scale warehousing development often
associated with high-volume, or “big box” importers. These importers’ supply chains are
highly dependent upon the uninterrupted flow of cargo – primarily containerized –
through Virginia’s ports, and subsequently through its highways and rail connections.
Ten major distribution centers are located along the I-95 Corridor. These are in the areas of
Fredericksburg in northern Virginia and Richmond/Petersburg in central Virginia.
Table 9. Interstate 95 Warehouse and Distribution Facilities
Company
Location
Area (Square Feet)
McLane Foods
Fredericksburg
364,000
CVS
Fredericksburg
550,000
Ashland
120,000
Fredericksburg
350,000
Richfood Holdings Inc.
Richmond
1,300,000
Hewlett Packard
Richmond
1,440,000
DSC Logistics
Richmond
700,000
Food Lion
Hopewell
1,200,000
Ace Hardware
Prince George
800,000
Wal-Mart Inc.
Petersburg
1,200,000
Country Vintner
Value City Furniture
Air Cargo
The two largest cargo airports, Dulles International and Richmond International, for the
Commonwealth of Virginia are along the I-95 Corridor. Combined, these two airports
handled over 110 million pounds of freight in 2006 as shown in Table 10.
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Table 10. Cargo Airport Performance
Airports
2006 Freight Pounds
Percent Change versus 2005
Dulles International Airport (IAD)
80,861,753
+13.8%
Richmond International Airport (RIC)
30,106,039
+6.9%
Washington National Airport (DCA)
2,088,966
+6.9%
Alternative Scenarios
The Virginia Statewide Model (VSM) was run several times to estimate future freight
transportation activities through Virginia. Each run used the same algorithm to process a
different set of input parameters. These runs included a “base case” which estimated
freight transportation activity in 2035 assuming no improvements in the highway or rail
network. The output from this run provides a baseline to which the results of the
remaining runs are compared. The final three runs, Scenarios A, B, and C, each represent
different sets of roadway, rail, and marine improvements as well as travel pattern adjustments. Scenario A generally reflects the situation in the year 2035 given that only certain
projects identified in the six-year improvement program are implemented. Scenario B
includes everything from Scenario A plus key improvements from the Virginia 2025 State
Highway Plan and a draft version of the 2035 State Highway Plan. Scenario C included
everything from Scenario B plus implementation of other important freight transportationrelated projects and policies. Public-Private Transportation Act (PPTA) projects are
included in the scenarios as well. A description of the types of improvements included in
each scenario is provided below.
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Scenario A
• Highway – Improvements
identified in the Virginia Six-Year
Plan dated February 2009 that:
(1) Add significant capacity
(generally those that add at least
one-lane mile to the facility); and
(2) Are located on any of the 11
freight corridors. No distinction
was made between projects funded
for preliminary engineering, rightof-way, or construction.
• Rail – Improvements to:
(1) Completion of Heartland Corridor
project.
(2) Relocate Commonwealth Railway
mainline tracks to the medians of
I-664 and the Western Freeway
(Route 164); and
(3) Other Virginia Port Authority
CIP projects.
• Port – Miscellaneous improvements
by the Virginia
Port Authority to support
anticipated growth.
• Airport – None.
Scenario B
• Highway – All highway
improvements in Scenario A plus
selected improvements from the
VDOT 2025 State Highway Plan
and from a preliminary draft
version of the VDOT 2035 State
Highway Plan that:
(1) Add significant capacity
(generally those that add at least
one-lane mile to the facility); and
(2) Are located on any of the 11
freight corridors.
• Rail – All rail improvements
from Scenario A.
• Port – All port improvements
from Scenario A.
• Airport – None.
Scenario C
• Highway – All highway
improvements in Scenarios A
and B plus the following:
(1) Hampton Roads Third Crossing;
(2) U.S. 460 Expressway between
U.S. 58 Bypass
and I-295;
(3) Capacity improvements on U.S. 17
and U.S. 29 near Warrenton;
(4) U.S. 58 “Hillsville Bypass”; and
(5) Tolling/pricing actions to shift
time-of-day and/or mode choice
decisions (also impacts rail mode).
• Rail – All rail improvements
in Scenarios A and B plus the
following:
(1) Crescent Corridor and National
Gateway projects;
(2) Short-haul rail projects to relieve
Hampton Roads congestion;
(3) Highway tolling / pricing actions
to shift mode choice decisions; and
(4) Craney Island on-dock rail and
connection projects (also impacts
port mode).
• Port – All port improvements in
Scenarios A and B plus the
following:
(1) Short-haul barge projects to relieve
Hampton Roads congestion; and
(2) Craney Island on-dock rail and
connection projects (also impacts
rail mode).
• Airport – Full build-out of the
airports’ master plans and
implementation of the Virginia Air
Transportation System Plan
recommendations.1
The projects included in Scenarios A, B, and C are highlighted in Figure 16.
1
Improvements to the Dulles Loop and improvements to accommodate the A380 at Dulles
International Airport are included.
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Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study, Final Report, 2010
Figure 16. Future Improvements to the I-95 Corridor
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Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study, Final Report, 2010
The relative effectiveness of these scenarios in meeting the I-95 Corridor’s freight
transportation needs is summarized in the figure below. The Freight Congestion
Index (FCI) is a measure of available capacity and use by trucks. It is a function of truck
volume, link length, and number of lanes (U.S. capacity). A value of 1.00 represents the
average state for the no-build scenario across all 11 corridors.
Figure 17. Freight Congestion Index for the I-95 Corridor
Index Ratio
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
No-Build
A
B
C
Scenario
Key Project Recommendations
Key recommendations for projects located within the I-95 Corridor include:
High-Priority Projects:
•
•
Widen I-95 and add HOV/HOT lanes throughout the Northern Virginia Subregion
and south to Fredericksburg. This portion of I-95 experiences very high levels of
background traffic and very high levels of congestion. It also is, along with I-81 to
the west, a major north-south freight transportation artery along the eastern
seaboard of the United States. Not only is it an important roadway for delivery of
goods to consumers within the Commonwealth, it also is a crucial link in the
national freight transportation network. Increasing the capacity of I-95 through
Virginia is critical to maintaining efficient freight movement within and through the
Commonwealth and the nation.
•
Widen I-95 to eight lanes between VA 656 and VA 207 in Hanover and Caroline
Counties. This portion of I-95 from Richmond north is a bottleneck. It experiences
high truck volumes and background traffic levels. Expanding this section to eight
lanes will alleviate this freight transportation bottleneck.
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Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study, Final Report, 2010
•
Widen I-95 to six lanes between VA 35 and I-295 in Prince George County. This
portion of I-95 experiences a high percentage of combination unit (CU) trucks. This,
combined with the background traffic associated with its proximity to the cities of
Petersburg and Richmond, as well as to the I-95/I-295 diverge, causes high levels of
congestion. Expanding I-95 in this area will alleviate this freight transportation
bottleneck.
•
Widen and add HOV lanes to I-66 from U.S. 29 to I-495. I-66 is a major east-west
freight route connecting the I-95 Corridor and the Northern Virginia Subregion to
the I-81 Corridor. Traffic volumes range from 85,000 to 125,000 on these segments
with combination-unit truck percentages in the 8.5 to 9.0 percent range. Widening
this roadway will accommodate economic expansion and improve safety.
•
Construct the U.S. 460 Expressway between I-295 near Petersburg and the City of
Suffolk. U.S. 460 between the Suffolk bypass and I-295 has very heavy truck
volumes and is a key freight transportation route between the Port areas of Hampton
Roads, the Richmond Subregion, and the I-95 Corridor. This new limited access
expressway will improve freight efficiency into and out of the Hampton Roads area
and between Hampton Roads and Richmond.
•
Add HOT lanes on I-495 from Old Dominion Drive (VA 123) to I-95 (Springfield
Interchange). I-495 is a major freight transportation route around Washington, D.C.
Traffic volumes are in the 200,000 AADT level with combination-unit truck percentages in the 3.0 percent range. Widening this roadway will promote economic
expansion and improve safety.
•
Widen U.S. 17 to eight lanes between I-95 and VA Route 749 and to six lanes
between VA Route 749 and VA Route 705 near Fredericksburg. This portion of
U.S. 17 experiences a high level of background traffic and 16 percent combination
unit (CU) trucks. Expanding U.S. 17 in this area will alleviate this freight transportation bottleneck.
•
Implement the National Gateway project. The National Gateway is a coordinated
program of multistate improvements to CSX rail lines aimed at improving doublestack rail connections between Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern markets.
A more detailed description of the freight transportation projects identified for the I-95
Corridor is provided in Table 11.
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Table 11. I-95 Multimodal Corridor Project List
Impact on Freight
Transportation
Activitya
Scenario
Included in
Freight
Program?
Project Description
From
To
Distance
(Miles)
I-95
Rural 6 Lane with
Median
North Carolina SL
Bus Route 58
11.130
High
B
Yes
I-95
Rural 6 Lane with
Median
Route 35 Southbound on
Ramp
I-295
5.590
High
B
Yes
I-95
Rural 8 Lane with
Median
Route 656
Route 54
5.040
High
B
Yes
I-95
Rural 8 Lane with
Median
Route 54
Route 30
6.050
High
B
Yes
I-95
Rural 8 Lane with
Median
Route 30
Route 207
6.510
High
B
Yes
I-95
Rural 8 Lane with
Median
Route 207
Route 608
18.380
High
B
Yes
I-95
Add 2 Lane CD Road
each Direction
Route 608
Route 3
6.160
High
B
Yes
I-95
Add 3 Lane CD Road
each Direction
Route 3
Route 17
3.330
High
B
Yes
I-95
Add 2 Lane CD Road
each Direction
Route 17
Route 610
10.160
High
B
Yes
I-95
Add 2 Lane CD Road
each Direction
Route 610
Route 234
9.260
High
B
Yes
I-95
Add 1 Lane to each
Direction
Route 234
Route 123
7.700
High
B
Yes
I-95
3 Reversible Hot Lanes
0.600 Mile South
Route 234 HOV
Route 123
8.920
High
B
Yes
I-95
3 Reversible Hot Lanes
Route 123
I-495
9.860
High
B
Yes
Route
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Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study, Final Report, 2010
Impact on Freight
Transportation
Activitya
Scenario
Included in
Freight
Program?
Project Description
From
To
Distance
(Miles)
I-95
Rural 8 Lane with
Median
Route 123
Route 644
9.010
High
B
Yes
I-95
Widen to Add A 4th Lane
0.015 Mile South
Route 123
0.154 Mile North
Route 7100
6.452
High
A
Yes
I-95
Add 2 Lane CD Road
each Direction
I-495
Route 613
2.060
High
B
Yes
I-95
Add 2 Lane CD Road
and HOV Lanes
Route 613
Maryland SL
5.460
High
B
Yes
I-95
Widen to Add Additional
Lanes
2.1 Mile West Telegraph
Road
0.45 Mile East Telegraph
Road
1.700
High
A
Yes
I-95
Widen to Add Additional
Lanes
0.880 Mile West Route 1
Woodrow Wilson
Bridge
2.550
High
A
Yes
I-495
Hot Lanes
Route 123 (Old Dominion
Drive)
Springfield – I-95
High
A
Yes
BRT and Hot Lanes
14th Street Bridge
Massapanox
High
A
Yes
U.S. 17
Rural 4 Lane with
Median
Caroline CL
Route 2/17 Bus
1.890
Medium
B
U.S. 17
Rural 4 Lane with
Median
Route 2/17 Bus
Bus Route 608
2.750
Low
B
U.S. 17
Rural 4 Lane with
Median
Route 301
Spotsylvania CL
12.230
Medium
B
U.S. 17
Rural 4 Lane with
Median
Route 608
Route 1
3.000
Medium
B
U.S. 17
Urban 8 Lane with
Median
I-95
Route 749
3.200
High
B
Yes
U.S. 17
Urban 6 Lane with
Median
Route 749
Route 705 South
2.590
High
B
Yes
U.S. 29
Urban 6 Lane with
Median
Fauquier CL
Route 55
4.130
Medium
B
Route
I-95/I-395
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Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study, Final Report, 2010
Impact on Freight
Transportation
Activitya
Scenario
Included in
Freight
Program?
Route
Project Description
From
To
Distance
(Miles)
U.S. 29
Urban 6 Lane with
Median
0.7 Mile East Prince
William
CL Route 28
3.310
Low
B
U.S. 29
Urban 6 Lane with
Median
Route 28
WCL Fairfax
5.530
Low
B
U.S. 29
Urban 6 Lane with
Median
ECL Fairfax
SCL Falls Church
5.050
Low
B
U.S. 29
Urban 6 Lane with
Median
Old Dominion Drive
Kenmore Street
1.080
Low
B
Route 460 Expressway
I-295
Suffolk CL
52.900
High
C
Yes
I-64
Widen from 4 to 6 Lanes
0.990 Mile West of
Route 623
0.380 Mile West of
Route I-295
4.520
High
A
Yes
I-64
Rural 8 Lane with
Median
Eastbound Route 288 On
Ramp
I-295
2.980
High
B
Yes
I-64
Widen Eastbound
Direction to 4 Lanes
Staples Mill Road
I-95 North
1.660
Low
B
I-64
Urban 8 Lane with
Median
I-95 South
Route 360
1.920
Medium
B
I-64
Pavement Rehab and
Widening
1.00 Mile West of Airport
Drive
1.00 Mile East of I-295
4.900
High
B
I-64
Rural 6 Lane with
Median
Airport Drive
I-295
3.150
Medium
B
I-64
Rural 8 Lane with
Median
I-295
Route 33 Westbound
4.600
High
B
I-64
Pavement Rehab and
Widening
1.00 Mile East of I-295
1.00 Mile East of
Route 249
4.600
Medium
B
I-66
Widen to 8 Lanes
1.554 KM West
Southbound Route 29
3.716 KM East
Southbound Route 29
3.270
High
A
I-66
Add 2 HOV Lanes
Route 15
Route 29
2.550
Medium
B
U.S. 460b
Part III - I-95 Corridor - Page 30
Yes
Yes
Yes
Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study, Final Report, 2010
Impact on Freight
Transportation
Activitya
Scenario
Included in
Freight
Program?
Route
Project Description
From
To
Distance
(Miles)
I-66
Widen to 6 Lanes + 2
Reversible HOV
Route 29
Route 234
2.340
High
B
Yes
I-66
Widen to 8 Lanes + 2
Reversible HOV
Route 234
Route 50 East
10.510
High
B
Yes
I-66
Widen to 8 Lanes + 2
Reversible HOV
Route 50 East
I-495
6.900
High
B
Yes
National Getaway
High
C
Yes
Crescent Corridor
High
C
Yes
Heartland Corridor
High
A
Yes
Short-Haul “Sprint
Trains”
High
C
Yes
Marine Highway Service
Expansion
High
C
Yes
a: The impact on freight transportation activity column indicates the relative impact a given project has on freight mobility as compared to
the relative impact it has on mobility in general. It consists of three categories:
High – these projects provide a greater relative impact to the important activity of moving freight than other projects considered.
Medium – these projects benefit both freight and non-freight transportation activity to an important degree.
Low – while valuable to both freight and non-freight transportation activity, these projects have a lower relative impact on freight
transportation activity than those in the medium- or high-level categories.
b: A Portion of the relocated U.S. 460 Expressway is located within the I-95 Corridor – the planned expressway continues to Suffolk.
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Conclusions
The primary conclusions of the I-95 Corridor profile are:
•
The highest priority freight-transportation infrastructure recommendations for the
Corridor are the widening and addition of HOV/HOT lanes to I-95 from
Fredericksburg north to the Maryland State line, the widening of I-95 from north of
Richmond to Fredericksburg, the widening of I-95 between the North Carolina State
line and U.S. 58, the widening and addition of HOV lanes on I-66 between U.S. 29 and
I-495, the widening and addition of HOT lanes on I-495, the construction of the
U.S. 460 Expressway from Suffolk to I-295, and the implementation of the National
Gateway project (see recommendations section for details).
•
I-95 is a freight transportation bottleneck throughout much of Virginia.
•
Combined, the freight-intensive, retail, and goods movement industries account for
27 percent of total I-95 Corridor employment, somewhat lower than the 31 percent
average for Virginia as a whole.
•
About 77 percent of the total freight tonnage (inbound, outbound, internal, and
through) moving within the Corridor is hauled by truck with 22 percent hauled by rail.
Over 54 percent of the total freight tonnage moving within the Corridor is through
traffic.
•
The overall pavement condition of I-95 in Virginia is good or very good.
•
The two largest cargo airports for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Dulles International
and Richmond International, are located within the I-95 Corridor.
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