THE I-81 CORRIDOR IN VIRGINIA: TRANSPORTATION ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Interstate 81 connects the six states of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York, with a total length of about 850 miles. It is the main highway link between southern economic hubs and the northeast. In Virginia, I-81 spans 325 miles through predominantly rural and rolling terrain. This section carries a heavy volume of commercial truck traffic, and caters to a significant number of intercity trips. With its strategic location, I-81 is important to both commercial and passenger traffic. In order to identify the transportation issues and opportunities for advanced technology and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications, Virginia Tech's Center for Transportation Research undertook a study. Data on traffic volumes, accident statistics, truck travel, work zone issues and intercity travel was collected. A survey of truckers on I-81 was also conducted. A preliminary analysis of the data has revealed four issues of concern: 1) Work Zone Safety and Control; 2) Traffic Safety; 3) Trucking Issues; 4) Intercity Traveler Needs. These issues are elaborated in this paper. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) offer a number of opportunities to address corridor issues. Twenty of the twenty-nine ITS user services developed as part of the National ITS Program Plan are seen to be applicable to corridor needs. In particular, the potential for near term ITS deployment is immense, as indicated by the many user services that relate to corridor issues. A coordinated and concerted effort on part of all the agencies concerned with the corridor, to plan, design and implement ITS will go a long way in turning I-81 into a model ITS corridor.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Full conference proceedings available only on CD.
• Corporate Authors:

  ITS America

  1100 17th Street, NW, 12th Floor
  Washington, DC  United States  20036
• Authors:
  • Sivanandan, R
  • Sawyer, M B
  • Nam, D H
  • Pethtel, R D
• Conference:
  • Merging the Transportation and Communications Revolutions. Abstracts for ITS America Seventh Annual Meeting and Exposition
  • Location: Washington, D.C.
  • Date: 1997-6-2 to 1997-6-5
• Publication Date: 1997

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: n.p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commercial vehicles; Crash data; Crashes; Intelligent transportation systems; Intercity travel; Passenger vehicles; Statistics; Technological innovations; Traffic control; Traffic safety; Traffic volume; Transportation corridors; Trucks; Work area; Work zone safety
• Uncontrolled Terms: User services
• Geographic Terms: Virginia
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Motor Carriers; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00744544
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 14 1998 12:00AM