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Traffic Congestion In Hampton Roads

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Although the Hampton Roads area is one of the biggest tourist destinations on the east coast, it faces a problem of traffic congestion. Many residents spend hours stuck in traffic around the area everyday. There are many elements in the area that develop the inevitable traffic congestion that plague the Hampton Roads. The main reasons of traffic congestion are heavy military presence, bridges and tunnels, and poor methods of alternate transportation. The consequences of heavy traffic are delays in commute, more accidents on the road, and noise and air pollution. Norfolk is home to the largest Naval Base in the world, along with five other bases for all branches of the military. As a result, the number of cars commuting is increased. Another factor to consider is the tunnels and bridges that are in the geographical area. Because this area is built around the Chesapeake Bay and many other rivers, there is no avoiding the tunnels and bridges built to commute across the area. The …show more content…

The biggest effect that residents have is long delays in getting to and from work. Due to the expectation of heavy congestion on the roads, residents must allow more time to commute to work and also spend more time in traffic when they are trying to get home. The average time spent in traffic is 45 minutes during rush hour. Another consequence of heavy traffic is an increase in automobile accidents. Because drivers become frustrated or angry due to heavy traffic, drivers are more aggressive and are more likely to cause an accident. Lastly, traffic causes noise and air pollution that make the city less attractive place to live. Since the traffic on the interstates create a large amount of noise, the price of homes near the interstate are reduced or become harder to attract homebuyers. Also, the amount of pollution created from automobiles on the road, contaminated the air that sometimes lead to heath problems over

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