Interstate 64 could be widened for a few thousand more feet if the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization gets its way.
The group, which manages planning for transportation projects in the area, is set to consider a proposal that would extend the amount of the road approved for widening from about 1,000 feet west of Fort Eustis Boulevard (exit 250) to less than a mile east of Lee Hall (exit 247). Funding is already in place to widen the road from Jefferson Boulevard (exit 255) to near Fort Eustis Boulevard.
The move to widen the road to near Lee Hall was put before HRTPO by the Virginia Department of Transportation at a Jan. 8 meeting of HRTPO’s Transportation Technical Advisory Committee. The extra length would push the project from $100 million to $144 million, with $4 million coming from the Hampton Roads Transportation Fund and $40 million from the state and the Federal Highway Administration. The extra work would need approval from the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which controls the money used for major highway projects.
The proposal will be considered at HRTPO’s Jan. 16 meeting.
Widening I-64 has been gaining momentum in the last year. Following the passage of a landmark transportation bill in 2013 and the decision by HRTPO to have widening I-64 on the Peninsula as its No. 1 priority, the effort to begin the project has been moving at a “breakneck speed,” according to VDOT Hampton Roads Administrator Jim Utterback.
The widening entails adding an extra lane to each direction of travel in the road’s median. The road currently bottlenecks at Jefferson Avenue, where it drops from four lanes to two.
VDOT officials are now examining the stretch of road set to be widened, looking for right-of-way and stormwater issues that could affect the work. The hope is to land the notice to proceed with construction by summer or fall.
The widening will not address the Fort Eustis Boulevard interchange. VDOT estimates that construction of a new interchange would cost $150 million.
To get a detailed idea of what it takes to widen I-64, check out this article.
Related Coverage:
- Proposed I-64 Widening Project Reaches Next Milestone
- VDOT: I-64 Widening Pre-Construction Work Moving at ‘Breakneck Speed’
- With HRTPO Vote, Interstate 64 Widening Could Stretch to Lightfoot
- VDOT: I-64 Widening Will Go From Jefferson Ave. To At Least Ft. Eustis Blvd.
- VDOT Crews Surveying on I-64 to Prepare for Widening Project
- Public-Private Partnership Could Speed Up I-64 Improvements
- I-64 Widening from Williamsburg to Newport News Gains Momentum
- 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
