How Transportation Connectivity Fuels Growth Across the Peninsula
By Stephanie Heinatz
LEAD Peninsula Class of 2025
Virginia Peninsula Chamber Board of Directors
Consociate Media
If you’ve spent any time in Hampton Roads, from the Middle Peninsula through Williamsburg, the Peninsula and across to the Southside, you’ve heard the jokes about our bridges and tunnels.
The 3 p.m. traffic updates. The synchronized GPS reroutes. The “I’ll leave an hour early just in case” mindset.
But behind the memes and mantras lies a powerful truth: the Virginia Peninsula’s transportation infrastructure is one of its greatest assets—and a driving force behind regional growth.
Because while bridges and tunnels may seem like barriers, they actually form the backbone of connection—linking people to jobs, businesses to customers and goods to the global economy.
Let’s celebrate it. Here’s why.
The Arteries of Opportunity
The Hampton Roads region is home to one of the most expansive and strategically located transportation networks on the East Coast. Whether it’s the iconic Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT), the James River Bridge, Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (MMMBT), George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge, a state-operated ferry system, or the myriad of highways and railways that feed into our region, these thoroughfares make mobility possible across city lines, industry clusters and shipping lanes.
And now, with the HRBT Expansion Project—the largest infrastructure project in Virginia’s history that aims to ease congestion along a nearly 10-mile corridor along Interstate 64 through the addition of twin, two-lane bored tunnels under the harbor—that connection is about to get even stronger. Once completed, the expansion will double tunnel capacity and better accommodate future growth, creating faster and more reliable commutes for the thousands who travel between the Peninsula and Southside every day.
This kind of access doesn’t just help people get where they’re going—it helps economies thrive.
Port Access That Powers Global Commerce
A key pillar of that economic engine, an incentive for ensuring a strong transportation network, is The Port of Virginia, a powerhouse for international trade and logistics and the third largest port on the East Coast.
The Peninsula’s close proximity to the port means that businesses—whether they’re manufacturing ship parts in Newport News, distributing pharmaceuticals in Williamsburg or sourcing raw materials in Hampton—can move goods quickly and efficiently.
With direct access to I-64, U.S. Route 17, rail lines and the Port’s deep-water terminals, the region is a prime location for industries that rely on seamless supply chain connections.
It’s not just about location. It’s about leverage.
Why It Matters for Business
Transportation is often one of the first factors a company considers when deciding where to expand or relocate. The Peninsula offers more than just roads—it offers reliability, redundancy and reach. Companies can tap into a robust network that links them not just to local markets, but also to global ones.
For workforce development, too, this matters. People live on one side of the water and work on the other. The ease of movement—whether via carpool, park-and-ride, public transit or freight—makes it possible for talent to connect with opportunity.
A Region United
Yes, our geography is unique. We are connected by bridges. Divided by water. Defined by movement.
But more than anything, we are intertwined by purpose—and that purpose is growth.
As the entire region looks ahead to a future shaped by innovation, commerce and connectivity, it’s clear that our transportation infrastructure is more than just pavement and steel. It’s a promise—a commitment to link our communities, empower our businesses and build a stronger, more unified Peninsula.
So the next time you’re sitting in traffic or cruising across a bridge, remember this: you're not just crossing over. You’re crossing into possibility.
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