A widening of Interstate 64 from Newport News to Williamsburg to three lanes in each direction could be done before the decade is out.
The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization voted at its Thursday meeting to endorse widening I-64 from the Jefferson Avenue exit (255) to the Marquis at Williamsburg and Water Country USA exit (242). Their vote comes after the Commonwealth Transportation Board allocated $100 million for the project, setting up a situation where state and local authorities could move quickly to begin working on the project.
“I never thought I’d see anything in my lifetime get done because of political uncertainty and hesitation,” said York County Supervisor and HRTPO representative Thomas Shepperd.
No dates have been set in stone nor has the project been confirmed, but the latest developments seem to have the project fast tracked.
“You could be doing a ribbon cutting in five years,” Shepperd said.
The $260 million project still needs to find additional funding, but the $100 million from CTB is a major step toward a green light. Money from the $5.9 billion transportation bill passed this year by the Virginia General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bob McDonnell could help meet that goal.
[stextbox id=”news-sidebar” float=”true” align=”right” width=”200″ bwidth=”1″ bcolor=”000000″ bgcolor=”8a6f90″]
CTB Announces Local Projects
The Commonwealth Transportation Board announced Friday $171 million in projects to improve roads in localities throughout the state. Here are the projects that have been green lit in the Historic Triangle:
Williamsburg:
-Sidewalk construction on York Street from Page Street to Quarterpath Road
James City County:
-Traffic light work at intersection of Longhill Road and Olde Towne Road
-Reconstruction of roads in Williamsburg West Subdivision
-Extend bikeway from intersection of Route 5 and Monticello Avenue to Capital Trail
York County:
-None
[/stextbox]
The widening of I-64 to exit 242 is part of a broader plan to widen the road all the way to Richmond, though that project likely cost between $4 billion and $7 billion. VDOT cleared one major hurdle late last year when they finished an Environmental Impact Study of potential projects, which is a timely and costly step in the process.
At a May meeting of the Williamsburg City Council, City Manager Jack Tuttle gave an update on the status of I-64 widening, saying things are moving in a way “I haven’t seen in the last 20 years.”
In a May interview with WYDaily, he referred to passage of the bill as advancing the discussion on widening from “someday maybe” to “how are we going to do it?”
The transportation bill has energized efforts to engage in projects throughout the state of Virginia. McDonnell’s office announced this week that funding for transportation has climbed to $17.6 billion for the next six years, which is a 54 percent climb from last year’s six-year plan. Included in that figure is an additional $1.3 billion in transportation improvements for the Hampton Roads region.
The HRTPO also passed a resolution Thursday addressing potential work on the crossings between the peninsula and the southside. Their resolution endorses widening the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel and constructing a new road that spurs off of the bridge and goes to the Norfolk Terminal. The resolution also affirms support for continued maintenance of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, which has been in place since 1957.
That resolution also calls for a feasibility study on adding potential congestion pricing to the crossings. The study would explore the possibility of adding tolls to the crossings that rise depending on traffic conditions. For example, if traffic was backed up on the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, the toll would rise by a few dollars to try to divert traffic to the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel.
Previous Coverage:
Transportation Bill Signing Likely Clears Way for I-64 Widening
I-64 Widening Potentially on the Horizon
Local Officials Push I-64 Widening in Transportation Bill Discussions
New Lanes on I64? Maybe, as VDOT Hosts First Meeting on Options
