A Virginia Department of Transportation employee (right) talks with a citizen at Wednesday’s public hearing for the widening of Interstate 64. (Gregory Connolly/WYDaily)
Heavy downpours and a tornado watch did not stop people from turning out to chat with Virginia Department of Transportation officials Wednesday at Woodside High School in Newport News about the upcoming project to add a lane in each direction on Interstate 64 from near Jefferson Avenue (exit 255) to near Lee Hall (exit 247).
The public hearing for the project was the latest step in the lengthy process VDOT must undergo prior to beginning work on the road. A series of display boards were set up in the school’s cafeteria to offer the public a glance at what the project will look like when it is finished.
The current timetable for the project would have a contract issued to a team composed of designers and builders by winter, with work completed by winter 2018.
The new lanes will be added on the inside of the median to minimize the costs associated with purchasing land. The widening of the road means the widening of several bridges, including those that run over the train tracks near Jefferson Avenue and those that run across Lee Hall Reservoir.
Funding for the $144 million project is in place, and a request for proposals from designers and contractors interested in conducting the work should be out by summer.
Wednesday’s hearing offered the public a vision of what the project might look like when it’s finished: several areas — especially those where residential zones abut the road — will likely have sound barriers installed. Those barriers could resemble the ones along Fort Eustis Boulevard near its intersection with George Washington Memorial Highway (Route 17).
VDOT also showed off how the median might look when work is done. The section of the road near Lee Hall as well as a few parts near Jefferson Avenue are marked for a double-faced guardrail, which is a metallic barrier designed to absorb the impact of a vehicle. A portion near the Lee Hall Reservoir and then another portion near Denbigh Boulevard would have a landscaped median, while the rest of the 5.49-mile stretch of road due to be widened would have an open space between the two directions of travel.
The exact timing of the work and how it might affect motorists has yet to be determined. Once the project has a contractor attached to it, the contractor will be responsible for coming up with a schedule that ensures the work will be finished by deadline. Part of that schedule will determine any lane closures or delays due to the project.
One thing the project will not do is address the congested Fort Eustis Boulevard interchange (exit 250). To expand the compressed cloverleaf interchange would cost about $150 million, or $6 million more than the entire widening project that is about to move forward.
This widening project represents the first of three widening projects for the road. The second runs from where the first segment ends to near the southeastern Route 199 interchange (exit 242). The third runs from there to the other Route 199 interchange (exit 234). The other two segments, which have not yet been scheduled or funded, are estimated to cost a combined $439 million.
Wednesday’s public hearing offered the public a chance to add their concerns and comments about the project to the official record. Anyone who missed the hearing still has the chance to offer comment to VDOT through May 10. To do so, email Bruce.Duvall@vdot.virginia.gov by the deadline.
Related Coverage:
- VDOT Schedules Public Hearing for I-64 Widening
- VDOT: I-64 Could Be Six Lanes from Jefferson to Lee Hall by Winter 2018
- 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