Time for Virginia to widen I-64 and ‘close the gap’

If you have ever traveled on Interstate 64 between Norfolk and Richmond, you know exactly what I am talking about.

Leaving Hampton Roads heading west, the slowdown or standstill usually starts after the Lightfoot exit in York County. Leaving Richmond heading east, traffic problems begin after the Bottoms Bridge exit in New Kent County.

The problem is what transportation officials call the “I-64 gap” — the only part of I-64 between Richmond and Hampton Roads that still has just two lanes in each direction.

Discussions of widening I-64 from Hampton Roads to Richmond had been ongoing for years and were supported by our state and regional transportation leaders.

Adding a third lane is an investment in the vitality of our megaregion, benefiting businesses, workers, residents, tourists and the military. It will help the economic competitiveness while relieving congestion, improving safety and increasing reliability for commuters, truckers and tourists.

Fortunately, improvements to I-64 were given a boost by two significant events.

First, in 2013, Gov. Bob McDonnell and the General Assembly passed legislation that raised much needed statewide transportation funds. Then, in 2014, Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the General Assembly passed legislation that created the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission to raise regional funds for transportation projects. HRTAC has subsequently helped attract and fund $5.3 billion in investments in the I-64 corridor in Hampton Roads, including $532 million spent to widen 21 miles of I-64 on the Peninsula.

The Virginia Department of Transportation began widening the first of three segments of I-64 in 2015. That segment was completed in 2017. Segment 2 was finished in 2019. The third segment was completed in November, adding another lane in each direction between Exit 234 and Exit 242.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration and the General Assembly are currently working to identify funding sources for the remaining 29 miles. VDOT estimates that project will cost $750 million.

Now is the time to take actions to completely close the gap — to finish the I-64 widening as planned. Here’s why.

Economic growth: Connecting the two major employment centers in Richmond and Hampton Roads will lead to the creation of more job opportunities for all. Completing the project helps secure Virginia’s investment in the Port of Virginia, where thousands of trucks use I-64 daily to haul items to distribution centers in the Richmond region and beyond. The I-64 corridor also plays a major role in Virginia’s tourism.

Improve safety/reliability and relieve congestion: I-64 serves millions as the primary evacuation route during a hurricane or other disasters. The interstate is congested, especially in the summer, causing significant loss of time for truckers, commuters, and tourists.

Connected, reliable network: I-64 will work best when the system is built as planned with three lanes in each direction.

Leveraging federal grant opportunities: As part of the infrastructure act, the U.S. Department of Transportation is poised to award billions of dollars to transportation projects. The larger the amount of state funding that is directed to closing the I-64 gap, the more VDOT will have as matching dollars when applying for those grants.

Available resources: Virginia is experiencing an extraordinary opportunity with available state revenue. We should use these resources to move forward with key “one-time” infrastructure projects such as this.

Lowest cost: Waiting will only increase the overall costs. Road-building inflation is rising faster than general inflation.

Bold bipartisan leadership planned, funded and implemented a series of essential phased improvements for the I-64 corridor to date.

The stars are now aligned to finish the job. Available resources, once-in-a-generation federal grant opportunities, and rising cost of road-building all point to one conclusion: Let’s close the gap now.