Interstate 64 in Virginia (original) (raw)

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Highway in Virginia

This article is about the section of Interstate 64 in Virginia. For the entire route, see Interstate 64.

Interstate 64 markerInterstate 64
Purple Heart Trail
MapI-64 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length 299.45 mi[1][2] (481.92 km)
Existed 1957–present
NHS Entire route
Major junctions
West end I-64 / US 60 at West Virginia state line
Major intersections I-81 from near Lexington to Staunton US 29 near Charlottesville US 15 in Zion Crossroads I-295 in Short Pump I-95 / I-195 / US 1 / US 301 in Richmond I-295 / US 60 near Richmond I-664 in Hampton I-564 / US 460 / SR 165 in Norfolk I-264 in Norfolk I-464 / US 17 / SR 168 in Chesapeake
East end I-264 / I-664 in Chesapeake
Location
Country United States
State Virginia
Counties Alleghany, City of Covington, Rockbridge, Augusta, City of Waynesboro, Nelson, Albemarle, City of Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa, Goochland, Henrico, City of Richmond, New Kent, James City, York, City of Newport News, City of Hampton, City of Norfolk, City of Virginia Beach, City of Chesapeake
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Virginia Routes Interstate US Primary Secondary Byways History HOT lanes
← SR 63→ SR 65

Interstate 64 (I-64) in the US state of Virginia runs east–west through the middle of the state from West Virginia to the Hampton Roads region, for a total of 299 miles (481 km). From the West Virginia state line to Chesapeake, it passes through the major cities of Lexington, Staunton, Charlottesville, the state capital of Richmond, Newport News, Hampton, and Norfolk. It is notable for crossing the mouth of the harbor of Hampton Roads on the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel (HRBT), the first bridge–tunnel to incorporate artificial islands, concurrent with U.S. Route 60 (US 60). Also noteworthy is a section through Rockfish Gap, a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which was equipped with an innovative system of airport-style runway lighting embedded into the pavement to aid motorists during periods of poor visibility due to fog or other conditions.

Alleghany County to Charlottesville

[edit]

I-64 and I-81 run together in Augusta County.

View west along I-64 near Waynesboro

I-64 enters Virginia as a four-lane divided highway, continuing its concurrency with US 60 through Covington into Lexington where the two routes split. From Lexington, I-64 then turns northward to Staunton, overlapping I-81 in the Shenandoah Valley. From Staunton, I-64 leaves I-81, passes through Waynesboro, crosses Rockfish Gap, and continues eastward, passing just to the south of Charlottesville, closely following the path of the historic colonial-era Three Notch'd Road, which had been established in the Colony of Virginia by the 1730s and was largely replaced in the 1930s by US 250.[3] Just outside of Charlottesville in Zion Crossroads, I-64 received the state's first diverging diamond interchange at its interchange with US 15, which opened to traffic on February 21, 2014, and was completed on April 15, 2014.[4][5][6]

Greater Richmond and the Virginia Peninsula

[edit]

After Charlottesville, I-64 then turns more east-southeasterly and heads toward Richmond, passing through Fluvanna, Goochland, and Louisa counties. After entering Henrico County and the Greater Richmond Region, I-64 interchanges and overlaps with I-95 on a stretch of highway which was a part of the former Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike, passing near Downtown Richmond and through the historic Black neighborhood of Jackson Ward. Once on the south side of Downtown Richmond, I-64 diverges from its concurrency with I-95 and continues southeasterly down the Virginia Peninsula through New Kent County and the Historic Triangle, into Newport News.

This portion of I-64 was set up by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) with a contraflow lane reversal system in place in the event of a mass evacuation of the Hampton Roads area region due to a hurricane or other catastrophic event. Gates are installed at the eastbound I-64 entrance and exit ramps from exit 200 (I-295) to exit 273 (US 60 east of the HRBT), and crossover roads are in place near the aforementioned exits.[7]

Hampton Roads Beltway

[edit]

Map of the Hampton Roads Beltway

The Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel

About a mile (1.6 km) before the southern interchange with State Route 199 (SR 199), I-64 becomes a six-lane divided highway as it continues toward Hampton Roads. Shortly after entering its interchange with SR 173 (Denbigh Boulevard), I-64 enters the Hampton Roads metropolitan area and widens out to an eight-lane divided highway, continuing generally south-southeasterly into Hampton where it meets the northern terminus of I-664 beginning the Inner Loop of the Hampton Roads Beltway. I-64 curves north-northeast to pass north of Downtown Hampton and cross the Hampton River, turning back southward to reach the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel, which it utilizes to cross the main shipping channel at the entrance to the harbor of Hampton Roads from the Chesapeake Bay. Once on the Southside, I-64 turns south through Norfolk, passing the eastern boundary of Naval Station Norfolk and Chambers Field and the spur route supplying it, I-564. It then becomes a six-lane divided highway with a two-lane reversible roadway in the middle, which is used for HOV traffic during morning and afternoon rush hours. It continues through Norfolk, curving multiple times and eventually ending up heading due south as it passes the interchange with another of its spur routes, I-264 on the northwest side of Virginia Beach.

After I-264, there are no more directional markers on I-64 from here to its "eastern" terminus because I-64 "east" will actually head west after its current southward course, and vice-versa. From I-264 to its "eastern" terminus, it is simply only signed as I-64 and either the Inner and Outer loop of the Hampton Roads Beltway.

Shortly after the I-264 interchange, I-64 leaves Virginia Beach for the city of Chesapeake. It soon comes to a complex interchange between another of its spur routes, I-464, along with US 17 and SR 168. I-64, now running westward, crosses the Southern Branch Elizabeth River using the High Rise Bridge. The road then curves northwesterly and ends at Bower's Hill, where it meets both the western terminus of I-264 and the southern terminus of I-664 near the northeastern corner of the Great Dismal Swamp. I-64's lanes continue northbound as I-664 to Newport News across the Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel (MMMBT), ending at I-64 in Hampton, completing the beltway.

[[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki%5Fletter%5Fw%5Fcropped.svg) This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2023)

In early studies and proposals of the Interregional Highway System (the predecessor title of the Eisenhower Interstate System), I-64 was to use the US 250 alignment west of Richmond.[8][9][10][11] However, in the late 1950s, a number of interested citizens, including Virginia Senator Mosby Perrow Jr., proposed that I-64 be realigned to run along US 220, US 460, SR 307, and US 360 from Clifton Forge via Cloverdale (near Roanoke), Lynchburg, and Farmville to Richmond. This southern route was favored by Governor J. Lindsay Almond and most members of the State Highway Commission.

The decision was on hold for three years while the state continued planning for the piece of the US 250 alignment from Richmond to Short Pump, which would be needed anyway to handle traffic.[12] In 1961, US Secretary of Commerce Luther H. Hodges rejected that plan and chose the present route, leaving Lynchburg as the largest city in Virginia not served by an Interstate. Officially, the chosen route was considered more efficient. However, there is speculation that the decision involved "back-room" politics of the Kennedy administration.[13]

Map from a 1958 study showing the two routes between Clifton Forge and Richmond

I-64 has four auxiliary routes, all of which are in the Hampton Roads Area:

Both of the bypass routes are shorter than the main leg for through traffic—I-664 is about 15 miles (24 km) shorter than the bypassed main leg while I-264 is about a mile (1.6 km) shorter than the main leg it bypasses.

On December 22, 2019, around 69 cars were involved in a pileup on I-64 westbound at the Queen's Creek Bridge near exit 238 (SR 143 east). 51 injuries were reported, including two life-threatening. Per reports, ice and fog were seen at that time.[14][15]

Current and future projects

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I-64 westbound near Charlottesville

I-64 widening projects

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Two segments on I-64 have been identified as candidates for widening: I-64 on the Virginia Peninsula from New Kent County to Newport News and I-64 in South Hampton Roads from the I-464/US 17/SR 168 interchange in Chesapeake to the Bowers Hill Interchange in Suffolk.

Peninsula

On the Peninsula, most of the I-64 corridor is a four-lane roadway and is one of the most-traveled segments in the region, connecting the Hampton Roads metropolitan area to the Greater Richmond Region. In recent years, the corridor has become a major bottleneck for traffic, with over half of the entire 75-mile (121 km) stretch having failing or near failing levels of service and continued increased safety concerns.[16] In 2011, VDOT initiated a study that would consider widening the highway with either additional general purpose lanes in the median and/or on the outside shoulder, adding two-lane, fully reversible managed lanes (either as a tolled express lane or an HOT-lane facility) or the addition of full tolling on the entire span.[17] The approved plan selected by VDOT and partners included the plan that added an additional general purpose lane in each direction by either expanding into the median or on the outside shoulder.[18] In June 2013, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) included 100million(equivalentto100 million (equivalent to 100million(equivalentto129 million in 2023[19]) in funding for the project in its Six-Year Improvement Program, allowing the project to move forward into the design and build phases. The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) allocated an additional 44million(equivalentto44 million (equivalent to 44million(equivalentto54.8 million in 2023[19]) to Segment I of the project to extend the boundaries beyond the Fort Eustis interchange.[20] The project is broken down into three operationally independent segments, which are independently funded, designed and built by a different company.

Southside

Similar to I-64 west of Newport News on the Peninsula, VDOT and the HRTPO undertook environmental and preliminary engineering studies for the improvement of the eight-mile (13 km), 48-year-old corridor of the I-64 from I-464 in Chesapeake to the Bower's Hill Interchange. This included replacing the functionally obsolete High Rise Bridge, which was completed one year after the study corridor opened, in 1969.

This study, completed in 2013, showed that the corridor frequently performed at near-failing levels of service (level of service grades D and E), with the High Rise Bridge itself outright failing, resulting in higher crash rates when compared to other areas in the region.[24] This is because most of the interchange ramps were built to previous Interstate standards and were based on then-rural development in the Western Chesapeake and Eastern Suffolk.[25] In addition, since the start of tolling at the Elizabeth River Tunnels, the High Rise Bridge and the corridor has received a nearly seven-percent increase in traffic during peak hours, further exacerbating the problem.[26]

In March 2015, the CTB identified and approved of the addition of two lanes of capacity in each direction,[27] with the possibility of them being either two HOT lanes, one HOV and one general-purpose lane, or all four lanes being tolled. Widening would be accomplished by adding the lanes in the median east of US 17 and to the outside shoulder west of US 17.[28] The approved plan also calls for the construction of a new, four-lane 135-foot (41 m) fixed-span bridge to the south of the current High Rise Bridge. Construction will be conducted in multiple phases, similar to the widening project on the Peninsula:

Once completed, the entire corridor would be an eight-lane stretch of highway, with two 135-foot (41 m) fixed-span bridges. Estimated costs for the entire project are currently estimated at $2.3 billion.[28] Currently, only part of first phase of the plan has been funded, which includes preliminary engineering and right-of-way service. A final design for the project is expected in December 2016, and a final contract award date is tentatively scheduled for August 2017.[30]

State and regional leaders have come up to convert the region's 32 miles (51 km) of existing high occupancy vehicle (HOV-2) lanes into high occupancy toll (HOT-2) lanes called the I-64 Express Lanes. According to a 2016 study by VDOT, only 1,600 vehicles travel through the Norfolk HOV lanes during the morning HOV restriction (6:00–8:00 am) and only 1,300 vehicles through the lanes through Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.[31] The plans for the I-64 Express Lanes have been divided into individual segments, all of which have been endorsed by the regions transportation planning organization.

Segment 1 converted the two-lane reversible roadway in Norfolk between the I-64/I-564 interchange and the I-64/I-264 interchange to HOT-2 lanes. Inner Loop traffic (eastbound from Hampton through Norfolk) enters through the ramp just prior to the I-564 interchange and exits through either the left exit directly to I-264 east, the slip ramp back to the Inner Loop for the interchange to I-264 west, or continue straight into mainline Inner Loop on the other side of the interchange. Outer Loop (westbound from Chesapeake to Norfolk) traffic enters the lanes at the ramp just after the I-64 Twin Bridges at the Elizabeth River, I-264 west traffic (from Virginia Beach to Downtown Norfolk) uses the flyover ramp from mainline I-264 to the Express Lanes, and I-264 east traffic (from Downtown Norfolk to Virginia Beach) merges onto the Outer Loop and utilizes the slip ramp entry. Tolling is only operational from Monday–Friday from 5:00–9:00 am and from 2:00–6:00 pm. Minimum toll during these periods is $0.50 and increases proportionally to traffic. Toll gantry installation and conversion was completed January 10, 2018, slightly behind schedule.[32]

Segment 2 would convert the single HOV-2 diamond lanes in each direction to HOT-2 lanes and would also include the newly expanded High Rise Bridge and associated lanes of I-64 from the I-464/I-64 interchange. Both directions would have a primary entrance/exit near the Bowers Hill interchange, with a midpoint entrance/exit near the Greenbrier Parkway/Battlefield Boulevard interchanges and a terminal entrance/exit that ties in at the Twin Bridges. The current HOV lanes would be reduced from 16 to 12 feet (4.9 to 3.7 m) (allowing the installation of the tubular road markers separating the general purpose lanes from the tolled express lanes), and new 12-foot (3.7 m) lanes would be built extend across the I-64/I-464 interchange and be built into the new High Rise Bridge and all the way to the Bower's Hill interchange. These lanes would be continuously operational once activated and would be variably priced depending on the traffic in the general-purpose lanes. This segment is scheduled to be completed as part of the High Rise Bridge project, which is scheduled for completion in 2021.[31]

Segment 3 would be built as part of the HRBT Expansion Project and would build from the existing reversible HOV northern terminus at I-564/I-64 through, across the expanded bridge–tunnel, and through the existing HOV-2 diamond lanes in Hampton. Planning for this segment (such as operational times and tolling pricing) will continue as the HRBT Expansion Project continues and would open at the same time as the new HRBT opens in 2024.[31]

Segment 4 would convert the remaining diamond lanes on I-64 in Hampton & Newport News to HOT-2 lanes as an extension of the HRBT Expansion Project. Detailed studies for this project, including operational hours, planning, and design, will occur in 2018 and would open along with the completion of the HRBT Expansion Project.

Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel Expansion Project

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According to VDOT, in 1958, an average of 6,000 vehicles a day used the facility whereas an average of 88,000 vehicles a day were using the crossing in 2008, with volumes exceeding 100,000 during the tourist season, well exceeding the original design capacity of 77,000 vehicles per day, which sparked decades of debate on how to improve traffic flow at the region's most important water crossing. Studies into the growing traffic at the HRBT have roots back to the early 1990s. In 1992, the Virginia General Assembly had requested that VDOT study growing traffic at the HRBT. The conclusion of that study determined that a longterm large-scale solution to the problem would be required to alleviate backups. For the next 14 years, VDOT would undertake numerous studies in 1999, 2008, 2012, and 2016 to help choose a candidate build that was financially and physically feasible to build. On October 29, 2020, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Hampton for the HRBT Expansion Project.[33]

After nearly two decades of studies and planning, the CTB and the two regional boards responsible for the project (HRTPO/Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission (HRTAC)) voted unanimously in 2016 to a $3.3-billion expansion of the current bridge–tunnel and its approaches from two to four lanes in both directions from the I-664 interchange to the I-564 interchange, with two new, two-lane bridge–tunnels built to carry traffic eastbound (Hampton to Norfolk). A final environmental impact statement (EIS) was published in May 2017, and the Record of Decision (ROD) from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) was granted in June. The project is expected to be completed by November 2025 [33]

  1. ^ a b "2014 Traffic Data". Virginia Department of Transportation. 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  2. ^ "Table 1 - Main Routes - FHWA Route Log and Finder List - Interstate Highway System - National Highway System - Planning". Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Federal Highway Administration. October 31, 2002. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  3. ^ "The Route of the Three Notch'd Road: A Preliminary Report" (PDF). Virginia Highway & Transportation Research Council. September 2003. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  4. ^ "Under Construction: I-64 Interchange at Route 15, Zion Crossroads". www.virginiadot.org. Virginia Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on November 27, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  5. ^ "VDOT Opens new DDI" (PDF). Virginia Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "VDOT: Diverging Diamond Interchange at Zion Crossroads". YouTube. Virginia Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  7. ^ "Va. prepares for hurricanes". www.timesdispatch.com. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on November 21, 2005. Retrieved April 30, 2006.
  8. ^ State Highway Commission of Virginia (September 11, 1945). "Minutes of Meeting" (PDF) (Report). Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 12.
  9. ^ Routes of the Recommended Interregional Highway System, ca. 1943
  10. ^ National System of Interstate Highways, August 2, 1947
  11. ^ National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, September 1955
  12. ^ State Highway Commission of Virginia (April 24, 1958). "Minutes of Meeting" (PDF) (Report). Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 23.
  13. ^ "Charlottesville won, and Lynchburg lost / Routing of I-64 was major tussle". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1999.
  14. ^ Lazo, Luz (December 22, 2019). "69-vehicle pileup involving chain-reaction crashes shuts down I-64 in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  15. ^ WWBT new staff (December 23, 2019). "Investigation continues after chain-reaction crash involving 69 vehicles on I-64". www.whsv.com. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  16. ^ "WHY ARE IMPROVEMENTS TO I-64 NEEDED?" (PDF). Virginia Department of Transportation. April 2012.
  17. ^ "Interstate 64 Peninsula Study (I-64 Corridor from I-95 in Richmond to I-664 in Hampton)". www.virginiadot.org. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  18. ^ "I-64 Final EIS Executive Summary" (PDF). Virginia Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. December 2013.
  19. ^ a b c d e Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  20. ^ a b "Interstate 64 Widening - Segment 1". www.i64widening.org. Retrieved May 29, 2016.[_permanent dead link_]
  21. ^ "Interstate 64 Widening - Segment 2". www.i64widening.org. Archived from the original on November 14, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  22. ^ "Interstate 64 Widening - Segment 3". www.i64widening.org. Archived from the original on June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  23. ^ "Interstate 64 Widening - Richmond". Virginia Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  24. ^ "Interstate 64 / High Rise Bridge Corridor Study | Traffic & Transportation Technical Report" (PDF). www.virginiadot.gov. October 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  25. ^ "Interstate 64 / High Rise Bridge Corridor Study | Environmental Assessment" (PDF). www.virginiadot.gov. October 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  26. ^ Nichols, Keith M.; Belfield, Samuel S. (July 31, 2015). "Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization - the Heartbeat of Hampton Roads" (PDF). hrtpo.org. Chesapeake, Virginia. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  27. ^ "Location Approval for the Interstate 64/High Rise Bridge Corridor Study" (PDF). www.virginiadot.org. Chesapeake, Virginia: Commonwealth Transportation Board. March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  28. ^ a b "Eight Lane Build - Managed Alternative" (PDF). www.virginiadot.org. Virginia Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  29. ^ Hafner, Katherine (April 7, 2016). "Dozens question VDOT officials about High-Rise Bridge". digital.olivesoftware.com. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  30. ^ "I-64 Southside & High Rise Bridge Phased Construction". www.virginiadot.org. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  31. ^ a b c Gibson, Anthony (June 1, 2016). "I-64 HOV to HOT Conversion Feasibility Study" (PDF). hrtpo.org. Virginia Department of Transportation.
  32. ^ "64 Express Lanes: FAQs". www.64expresslanes.org. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  33. ^ a b "Home | Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion". www.hrbtexpansion.org. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  34. ^ Dave Strong (September 21, 2019). "I-64". The Virginia Highways Project. Adam Froehlig and Mike Roberson. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  35. ^ "NEW I-64 EXIT NUMBERS". Daily Press. Newport News, VA: Tribune Publishing. January 7, 1992. Retrieved February 7, 2021.

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