WASHINGTON, D.C. (WAVY) — Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced that the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission is expected to receive a loan of up to $143 million to widen I-64, according to a release.
The funding was approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Build America Bureau’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act”, or TIFIA, program. The program provides credit assistance for projects, such as highways, with regional and national significance.
“I-64 is essential for many Virginians to get to work, school and critical services, while also serving as an important asset to our defense community in Hampton Roads,” the senators said, in a release. “We’re glad the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission is receiving this loan to widen I-64, reduce congestion and help Virginians get where they need to go.”
The funding is set to be used to convert three existing eastbound and westbound general purpose, or GP, lanes into two GP lanes, one full-time express lane and one part-time express lane.
The project is meant to widen I-64 and add a 12-foot-wide travel lane in each direction from Settlers Landing Road, or exit 267, to LaSalle Avenue, or exit 265. The eastbound Hampton River bridges are expected to be replaced, and the westbound Hampton River Bridge will be widened and rehabilitated, the release states.
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