State signs off on Hampton Roads Bridge - Tunnel expansion
13 December 2016US - Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) unanimously approved a preferred alternative on December 7 for the I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, which adds a third tunnel to the existing two.
According to the Hampton Roads Crossing Study Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) Alternative A will widen about 12 miles (19km) of I-64 to a consistent six-lane facility from I-664 in Hampton to I-564 in Norfolk. This alternative is estimated to cost USD 3.3bn and includes a new parallel “bridge tunnel.”
“Today’s endorsement of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion clears the way for a leap forward in regional connectivity and congestion relief,” said transportation secretary Aubrey Layne. “After years of talk and analysis, we now have the funding and the decision to act. This is monumental for Hampton Roads and Virginia.”
The CTB’s vote allows VDOT to proceed with documenting the preferred alternative and responding to public comments in a Final SEIS, which VDOT anticipates publishing in the summer of 2017. Following publication of the Final SEIS, VDOT can request a Record of Decision (ROD) from the Federal Highway Administration.
The ROD will allow VDOT to advance with more detailed designs. VDOT anticipates requesting and receiving a ROD in the summer of 2017 on Alternative A.
