Virginia Transportation Modeling Program

Richmond/Tri-Cities Regional Travel Demand Model

Regional characteristics

The model combines the two urban regions of Richmond and the Tri-Cities of Petersburg, Hopewell and Colonial Heights.

The model region is bounded by the Fredericksburg model to the north. It extends into New Kent and Charles City counties, but does not border the Hampton Roads model. The James River bisects the area.

Travel characteristics

The Richmond/Tri-Cities region is home the Port of Richmond, a minor facility on the James River, which serves both domestic and international intermodal freight.

A much smaller private port is located at City Point in Hopewell.

Amtrak serves the regions with stations at Main Street and Staples Mill in Richmond, a station in Ashland, and Ettrick station in Petersburg.

The Greater Richmond Transit Company and the Petersburg Area Transit provide bus transit services in the Richmond and Tri-Cities areas respectively. However, the transit mode share captured is only a few percent of total trips in the region.

Most Richmond-area commuters (82 percent) drove alone to work in 2000.

Major interstates crossing the region are Interstates 64 and 95 (intersecting in Richmond) and Interstate 85 and (intersecting I-95 near Petersburg).

A major interstate loop (Interstate 295) provides a bypass of the entire region, from south of Tri-Cities to north of the Richmond area, on I-95.

Since 2005, a western freeway bypass, state Route 288, links I-95 south of Richmond to I-64 west of Richmond. Short sections of toll roads, operated by the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, are present in Richmond, including the Powhite Parkway (Route 76), the Richmond Downtown Expressway (Route 195), and the Pocahontas Parkway (Route 895).

Model Contact
Jun Liu

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