 Because of the 1932 Byrd Road Act , the state government controls most of Virginia 's roads , instead of a local county authority as is usual in other states . As of 2011 , the Virginia Department of Transportation owns and operates 57 @,@ 867 miles ( 93 @,@ 128 km ) of the total 70 @,@ 105 miles ( 112 @,@ 823 km ) of roads in the state , making it the third largest state highway system in the United States . Although the Washington Metropolitan Area , which includes Northern Virginia , has the second worst traffic in the nation , Virginia as a whole has the 21st @-@ lowest congestion and the average commute time is 26 @.@ 9 minutes . Virginia hit peak car usage before the year 2000 , making it one of the first such states . 
