A contract could be executed with a company as soon as next winter to begin construction on widening Interstate 64 to six lanes from Jefferson Avenue (exit 255) to near Lee Hall (exit 247), a move that would enable the work to be completed by winter 2018.
The Virginia Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it is seeking public comment on the project, which would add one 12-foot wide lane to both sides of the road across a 5.49-mile corridor. The project area starts where the road currently shifts to two lanes in Newport News and would extend to less than a quarter mile east of Lee Hall.
VDOT recently completed the I-64 Peninsula Study Final Environmental Impact Statement, which identified the addition of two lanes in each direction as the preferred alternative. The current proposal seeks to add one lane in each direction, but does not prohibit the addition of a fourth lane on each direction of the road at a later date.
Crews will have to widen bridges over the Lee Hall Reservoir, Fort Eustis Boulevard and Industrial Park Drive. The extra lanes will be built in existing medians. VDOT also seeks to build 12-foot shoulders along with the new lanes.
VDOT’s timetable calls for a request for proposal from potential contractors by summer. The Commonwealth Transportation Board has already approved $100 million in funding for the project, while the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization approved an additional $44 million in funding in January. The $44 million from HRTPO represents the first money allocated from revenues generated from last year’s sweeping transportation bill.
The widening will not include improvements to the Fort Eustis Boulevard Interchange. VDOT estimates construction of a new interchange would cost about $150 million.
A project to widen the road has been gaining momentum since last year’s passage of the transportation bill. HRTPO voted in 2013 to identify widening I-64 on the Peninsula as its No. 1 priority, ahead of projects like the construction of a third crossing between the Peninsula and the Southside.
To get a detailed idea of what it takes to widen I-64, check out this article.
VDOT will accept comments on the proposed work by telephone at 925-2583, by email at [email protected] or by mail at the following address:
VDOT Hampton Roads District Office of Communications
1700 N. Main Street
Suffolk, VA 23434
Related Coverage:
- HRTPO to Consider Widening I-64 to Near Lee Hall
- 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
