VDOT outlines express‑lanes construction, traffic shifts and HRBT tunneling schedule

Chris Hall, district engineer for VDOT’s Hampton Roads District, gave the City Council a multi‑part briefing on construction and traffic changes tied to the Hampton Roads Express Lanes network and the Hampton Roads Bridge‑Tunnel expansion.

Hall said the long‑term plan is a 45‑mile continuous express‑lane network expected to be complete with the final 181b project “around the fall of 2029.” He described how the system will operate with high‑occupancy tolling and a free option for vehicles with an E‑ZPass Flex and two occupants: “If you got an E‑ZPass, E‑ZPass Flex, you got another person with you in that vehicle, you're riding for free,” Hall said.

Hall described an imminent traffic pattern change in the I‑64 westbound profile near the Little Creek/Granby Street/564 interchange that VDOT may start shifting as early as the second week of February. The change will close a general‑purpose lane in westbound I‑64 and open a separated left lane; drivers using the new left lane will not be able to access some local exits and will be directed by signage. Hall said access to the reversible express lanes and Exit 276B to 564 will remain available and that the schedule is weather‑ and contractor‑dependent.

He warned the council that the Tidewater Drive eastbound entrance ramp will likely be closed for the maintenance of traffic configuration “basically through late ’25,” and that a significant pattern in place after February is expected to remain until roughly October, schedule permitting.

Hall reviewed construction phases for the 564 interchange and a planned “part‑time shoulder lane” system that will operate bidirectionally to complement the existing reversible lanes; that project is under procurement with an anticipated contract award in October–November. He also updated council on the HRBT tunnel boring machine “Mary,” reporting the second tunnel is a little over 1,000 feet complete and that VDOT anticipates completion of the second tube around August 2025. Hall said eastbound traffic will be shifted onto the new South Trestle in late spring or early summer to allow widening and rehabilitation work on the existing profile.

Councilmembers raised commuter impacts, debris and trash in construction corridors, and requests for more frequent cleanups at specific ramps. Hall said VDOT coordinates periodic debris pickup and can target problematic areas in between scheduled cycles.

Hall also flagged another major project that will widen and reconstruct ramps feeding U.S. 264 to eliminate a weaving choke point on Northampton Boulevard; acquisition would start later in 2025 with construction beginning in 2026.

Hall closed by thanking city staff for close coordination on lane closures and traffic control as the multi‑year projects continue to move through construction and procurement.