Virginia Transportation Modeling Program
Tidewater Super-Regional Travel Model
Model Facts
Developer:
The Corradino Group; Virginia DOT
Completion Year:
2009 (in testing)
Base Year:
2000
Forecast Year:
2030
2000 Population:
Hampton Roads: 1,530,873
Richmond: 939,158
Inter-MPO: 85,024
Total: 2,555,055
Area (without water bodies):
Hampton Roads: 1,899 sq. mi.
Richmond: 1,780 sq. mi.
Inter-MPO: 2,525 sq. mi.
Total: 6,204 sq. mi.
Jurisdictions:
Metropolitan Planning Organizations:
Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization Richmond Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Tri-Cities Metropolitan Planning Organization
Counties:
Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Gloucester (p) , Goochland (p) , Greensville, Hanover, Henrico, Hopewell, Isle of Wight, James City, Poquoson, Powhatan (p) , Prince George, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, York
Cities:
Chesapeake, Colonial Heights, Emporia, Franklin, Hampton, Hopewell, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Petersburg, Suffolk, Williamsburg, and Virginia Beach
*(p) means that only a portion of the jurisdiction is included
Air Quality Status:
Contains two attainment/maintenance areas. This model is not used for air-quality conformity analysis
Internal TAZs:
Hampton Roads: 1,059
Richmond: 980
Inter-MPO: 184
Total: 2,223
Links/Nodes:
Links (Not centroid connectors)
Hampton Roads: 9,698
Richmond: 11,264
Inter-MPO: 1,972
Total: 22,934
Nodes (Not centroids)
Hampton Roads: 4,069
Richmond: 5,318
Inter-MPO: 939
Total: 10,326
Software:
CUBE/Voyager
Trip Purposes:
All Vehicles
Time Period Modeled:
Daily
Modes:
All Vehicles
Regional Characteristics
The Tidewater region encompasses the most southeasterly portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The region includes the two largest urban areas outside of Northern Virginia (Richmond and Hampton Roads), and two air quality maintenance areas. The Tidewater model explores daily traffic across this region, with particular emphasis on trips taken between the MPO areas along major regional corridors (Interstate 64, US Route 460, and US Route 58).Travel Characteristics
Although each of the three Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in the region has its own model (Richmond and Tri-Cities MPOs are modeled in a single model), a significant amount of inter-regional traffic occurs. In the MPO models, these trips are represented as external trips, with the consequence that development in one MPO area cannot be modeled in the MPO models with respect to its effect on the other MPO.The Tidewater model incorporates both the Richmond/Tri-Cities and the Hampton Roads MPO models, as well as a separately developed small regional model for the rural area between the two urbanized areas (the Inter-MPO model). Based on results from the three constituent models, the Tidewater model uses an innovative “super-regional” approach to permit coarse evaluation of corridor projects affecting daily traffic between the major urban areas in southeastern Virginia, including toll effects. Currently, the Tidewater model examines total daily traffic by all vehicle types, without disaggregation by purpose or vehicle classification. Both the large MPO models are scheduled for major updates by mid-2011, and the Tidewater model will be updated and possibly enhanced in the course of that development.
Model Contact
Jeremy Raw, Jaesup Lee
