Segment 1 (Completed)

Newport News

The first operationally-independent segment in Newport News spans approximately 5.3 miles, from west of Route 143, Jefferson Avenue (Exit 255), to just east of Route 238, Yorktown Road (Exit 247). 

This corridor of Interstate 64 ties into an eight-lane interstate system to the east and was previously the most congested section of I-64 on the Peninsula.

To provide immediate congestion relief here, the improvements included the addition of one 12-foot-wide travel lane and one 12-foot-wide shoulder, in each direction, to widen the previous four-lane section to six lanes. 

These improvements increase capacity, bring portions of the interstate up to current design standards, provide more lanes for evacuation and improve safety by reducing congestion and improving vehicular level of service.

The widening occurred in the median of the existing interstate, limiting the amount of right of way required to construct the project and avoid impacts to existing interchanges. 

Four existing bridges within the corridor at Fort Eustis Boulevard and the Lee Hall Reservoir were repaired and widened to the inside, providing the same typical section as the roadway. Due to the overpass bridges at Industrial Park Drive being rated the most deficient in the corridor, the design-build contractor Shirley Contracting demolished and reconstructed new wider bridges to meet current design and safety standards.

Other improvements included:

• Lengthened the on- and off-ramps at Fort Eustis Boulevard
• Constructed starfish-stamped noise walls along the interstate
• Added low-maintenance landscaping throughout the median and corridor

Timeline

In June 2013, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) adopted the 2014 - 19 Six-Year Improvement Program that included $100 million in funding for the I-64 Capacity Improvements Project. 

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) approved and adopted a resolution endorsing six-lane options to provide immediate congestion relief of I-64 between Jefferson Avenue (exit 255) and Humelsine Parkway (exit 242).

In January 2014, it was determined that the I-64 Capacity Improvements – Segment I project needed to be lengthened past the Fort Eustis Boulevard interchange to avoid operational impacts to the interchange. To extend the project limits approximately two miles west, the $100 million estimate was updated to $144 million. 

The HRTPO board approved an update to expand the project limits, resulting in an allocation of $44 million from the Hampton Roads Transportation Fund (HRTF) to Segment I of the I-64 Capacity Improvements Project. 

The vote represented the first use of HRTF funds generated by House Bill 2313 and will result in the fast-tracking of a project that is identified as one of the region's highest priorities. 

The project cost $122 million. 

Not only did the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) identify this project as one of the region’s top transportation projects, this project was also the first to make use of Hampton Roads Transportation Fund revenues generated by the 2013 transportation law—HB2313, with $44 million of funding provided by the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission (HRTAC).

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, the CTB awarded a contract of $84.8 million to Shirley Contracting Co. LLC of Lorton, to design and construct the first segment of the project.  

A notice to proceed was issued on March 18, 2015.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the project on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015. Photos

Construction on the first segment began in September 2015 and was completed in 22 months on budget and on schedule on December 1, 2017.

A ribbon cutting and completion ceremony was held under the Industrial Park Drive Bridges on December 1, 2017. Photos from Ceremony

View the progression of the first segment in a video shown on December 1 at the Completion Ceremony:

At a Glance

Begin: Spring 2015
Completion: December 1, 2017
Final Cost: $101.5 million
Limits: From 0.50 miles east of Route 238, Yorktown Road (Exit 247) to 1.55 miles west of Route 143, Jefferson Avenue (Exit 255)
Contractor:  Shirley Contracting Co. LLC

Schedule

Final EIS approved:  November 2013
Request for qualifications (RFQ):  March 2014
FHWA Record of decision:  April 21, 2014
Public hearing:  April 30, 2014
Request for proposal: June 24, 2014
Award design-build contract: Feb. 18, 2015
Begin construction: September 8, 2015
End construction: December 1, 2017