VDOT gives Newport News update on I-64 express lanes, HRBT expansion, Denbigh interchange and James River Bridge repairs

VDOT District Engineer Chris Hall briefed the Newport News City Council on Feb. 11 about construction milestones and near-term traffic impacts for several regional projects, including the I-64 Hampton Roads Express Lanes, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion, the Denbigh Boulevard interchange improvements and a weekend closure to replace grid deck panels on the James River Bridge.

The update covered schedules, temporary traffic patterns and how project revenues will be used. "Number one, there's always a free option. Number two, the express lanes are really designed to provide a reliable trip," Hall said, adding that proceeds beyond operations and maintenance “are reinvested right back into our region.” He described the express lanes as a managed, high-occupancy toll facility that will remain free for high-occupancy vehicles and motorcycles and use dynamic tolling for single-occupant vehicles.

Hall said the Newport News segment (referred to in the presentation as segments 4a/4b) runs roughly from the Denbigh interchange toward the LaSalle interchange, is under construction, and that the contractor expects completion in 2027. He said crews will begin overnight "slow rolling" closures to erect large overhead structures in the coming week and that those activities will continue for several months.

On the Hampton segment (4c), Hall said crews have completed widening and rehabilitation on the westbound structures and will shift traffic onto the westbound trestle to allow demolition and reconstruction of the eastbound bridge into a four-lane configuration over the next three months. Hall also briefed council on progress at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel project: the tunnel-boring machine known as "Mary" is about 1,700 feet into a new eastbound tunnel (roughly 20% of that bore), with completion of the second bore expected in the fall of 2025. Hall said the project plans to shift eastbound traffic onto a new mega trestle in summer 2025 and then reconfigure lanes toward the outside so work can proceed on the westbound widening.

Hall described the overall HRBT program as a roughly $4,000,000,000 enterprise and emphasized design choices intended to limit right-of-way impacts in adjacent neighborhoods. He noted that only a single temporary easement and a laydown yard purchase were required at Willoughby Spit for the current phase.

On the Denbigh Boulevard interchange, Hall said the work will be completed in two phases. Phase 1, which will provide westbound on- and off-ramps, is in procurement and is expected to be advertised this spring with an award anticipated by the end of 2025. Phase 2, which would add eastbound access, is planned as a follow-on project that still needs additional planning and railroad coordination.

Hall also said the James River Bridge grid deck replacement is scheduled to begin the weekend of March 7 with a full, one-direction (northbound toward Newport News) weekend closure; the closure is to start late Friday, March 7, and end before the Monday morning peak on March 10. Two backup weekends are scheduled in case of weather delays. Hall said the work is intended to ensure the lift facility’s grid deck remains safe and serviceable for the foreseeable future.

Council members asked procedural and operational questions during the presentation. One council member pressed about routine tunnel maintenance and cleaning schedules in the Midtown tunnel area; Hall said most routine tunnel work is scheduled overnight and that routine activities typically occur about four nights per week, with daytime closures generally limited to emergencies. Another member asked about the Lee Hall interchange; Hall said it remains part of a broader safety/study effort and that he would follow up with a status update.

City Manager Alan Archer introduced the presentation and thanked VDOT for coordination with Newport News Public Works.

Council members did not take formal action on any of the project items during the work session; Hall and staff provided the schedules and said public outreach for the James River Bridge closure would begin the following week.

The presentation included maps and video fly-throughs of trestle and tunnel work shown to council; Hall noted that additional outreach and scheduling notices would go to commuters and that 64expresslanes.org is the project site for details on eligibility, tolling and hours of operation.