NEW KENT COUNTY, Va. -- In New Kent County, it was a ceremonial start to a long-awaited project that will finally complete the widening of I-64 and close a 29-mile gap in a heavily traveled corridor linking Richmond to Hampton Roads.
On Monday, Governor Glenn Youngkin and transportation officials broke ground on the highly anticipated project.
“We cannot leave the gap unfilled, and this is a very, very big gap,” said Governor Youngkin.
In the three-phased gap widening project, VDOT will be adding a 12-foot third lane and a 10-foot-wide paved shoulder to both directions of I-64 from Bottoms Bridge in New Kent County to the Lightfoot exit in York County.
The governor says the $756 million project, paid for with local, state, and federal funds, will alleviate congestion, improve safety, and help strengthen Richmond’s connection to the Tidewater region.
“It provides such an opportunity for economic development up and down the corridor and finally connectivity,” said Youngkin. “We’re connecting Hampton Roads to Central Virginia so much better from a tourism standpoint, from an economic standpoint, and from an evacuation standpoint.”
Because the corridor serves as a key connector between Richmond, Henrico, Hanover, New Kent, and James City Counties, Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation, Shep Miller, says safety has been a huge concern over the years.
“The stretch between here and Newport News is the most dangerous highway in Virginia for fatalities so this (project) will have a big impact for that,” said Miller.
Meanwhile, during the construction phase, which will begin at Bottoms Bridge in mid-November, traffic engineers say it’s important for drivers to be patient and vigilant.
VDOT Project Manager Dale Totten says they hope to keep both current lanes open while construction is taking place, so the flow of traffic is not interrupted.
“We certainly want to encourage motorists to take a little extra time,” said Totten. “You’re going to see active work going on, so give their neighbor a little bit more space as they navigate down the road and really bear with us. We’ll make progress. It’s going to be slow going but we’re going to be at it from the beginning to when we’re done.”
The project will be broken into three phases. Segment A construction will begin in mid-November and is estimated to be completed by Summer 2027. Section B construction will begin in December 2024 and is estimated to be completed by Spring 2028. Segment C construction will begin in May 2024 and is estimated to be completed in Fall 2027.
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