Virginia Truck Bans & Hazmat Routes

Where Virginia keeps trucks out

Virginia's teeth are in Hampton Roads. Four water tunnels bar hazmat by class, and a motorhome must stop so the VDOT gatekeeper confirms the propane is off (24VAC30-61-40). Up north the George Washington and Colonial parkways are cars-only, and I-66 inside the Beltway and the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge ban trucks. The signs are posted and enforced by state and Park Police. A car GPS ignores all of it.

Key restrictions

• Hampton Roads tunnels: hazmat barred by class; motorhomes stop so the gatekeeper sees propane is off (24VAC30-61-40).
• GW Memorial and Colonial parkways: no commercial vehicles; over 10,000 lb GVW always banned on the GW Parkway.
• I-66 east of I-495 and the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge: no trucks.
• The Blue Ridge Parkway crosses Virginia too and bars commercial vehicles.

• Parkway / road ban: The George Washington Memorial and Colonial parkways (National Park Service) ban commercial vehicles; anything over 10,000 lb GVW is always barred from the GW Parkway. No trucks on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, and trucks are prohibited on I-66 inside the Beltway (east of I-495).
• Hazmat: Four water-proximate Hampton Roads tunnels restrict hazmat by hazard class under 24VAC30-61-40: the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (I-64), Monitor-Merrimac (I-664), and the Downtown and Midtown Elizabeth River tunnels. Classes 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.3, 4.3, and 6.1 (Packing Group I inhalation hazard) are barred outright; classes 2.1, 3, 5.1, 5.2, and 8 pass only in non-bulk packaging of 119 gallons or less. Class 7 radioactive carries no tunnel restriction under the rule. Motorhomes must shut off propane and stop for the VDOT gatekeeper. Virginia State Police enforce.
• Through-truck routes: STAA rigs use the National Network and VDOT-designated routes. Northern Virginia and Richmond post through-truck bans on local streets. I-66 east of I-495 and the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge are closed to trucks. Leave a truck route only for the direct path to a local stop.
• Fine: Hazmat routing violations are enforced by the Virginia State Police under state hazmat rules; penalties run into the hundreds and up depending on the load. A commercial vehicle on a National Park Service parkway draws a US Park Police federal citation, plus you pay for any low arch you clip.

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