Virginia

[tolbs17]

More info -

https://www.transportation.gov/tifia/financed-projects/hampton-roads-regional-priority-projects

The one in green, should be a freeway, IMO! 6 lane freeway would be nice!

And these interchanges should be redesigned like this because this is kind of a weird freeway IMO.

http://prntscr.com/qg26aq

http://prntscr.com/qg26yq

Looks like the existing grading won't be extended.

[sprjus4]

The one in green, should be a freeway, IMO! 6 lane freeway would be nice!

The segment between I-64 and the US-58 Suffolk Bypass today is a 60 mph limited-access 6-lane expressway with a few at-grade intersections. The proposed project would have upgraded the roadway to interstate standards by widening cross section of the roadway to have full left and right shoulders and constructing two interchanges at Regional Landfill and the Hampton Roads Executive Airport.

The project had a detailed study underway, though has since been delayed indefinitely.

IMO, there's greater need to widen the US-58 Suffolk Bypass from 4 to 6 lanes then there is to upgrade the 6-lane expressway to interstate standards, though ultimately both projects need to be completed to provide a continuous 6-lane interstate-grade corridor between the west end of Suffolk to I-64 / I-664 / I-264.

And these interchanges should be redesigned like this because this is kind of a weird freeway IMO.

http://prntscr.com/qg26aq

http://prntscr.com/qg26yq

Looks like the existing grading won't be extended.

The freeway is designed how it is because US-58 is the main movement, not US-13.

The US-13 leg was merely a connector built between the 1974 US-58 Suffolk Bypass and US-13 south of Suffolk in 2003 to re-route trucks around the city. There's not nearly as much traffic that utilizes that leg than there is making the US-58 thru movement.

The existing design is adequate. The only major project that will happen in this area is widening of US-58 west of the interchange to a 6-lane boulevard design beginning in a few years. No further major improvements are planned along US-13 or US-58 as far as I'm aware.

[Beltway]

Taken to its logical conclusion, that could be a reckless financial management strategy.
"I need the money now, so I will max out all these credit cards, and not think about whether I will ever be able to pay off these debts in the future."

It will be interesting to see what happens in the future with this situation if this is indeed the road they continue down.
At least another $1 billion or more will be funded through bonds and loans in the near future simply adding more debt and interest to be paid off. Some of it will be paid back via toll revenue collected on HO/T lanes, the rest with tax dollars.
The question is though - how else do you accelerate and get all of these projects funded?

How else and get all ...  ?

You don't pile large amounts of more debt upon large amounts of previous and unretired debt.

That is not a sustainable process, increasing amounts of P + I need to be serviced every month.

Financial Management 101.

[sprjus4]

From VDOT's traffic camera, this provides a nice aerial shot of how the recently completed 6-lane widening outside of Richmond along I-64 seamlessly ties into the original 4-lane design east of there. Note the stubs to the inside where a future 3rd lane each way would continue.

[tolbs17]

^^^^^

when looking at that, there's a big stub right here. I wonder what this is going to be

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.6569267,-77.4438188,3a,75y,331.77h,82.32t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sic3GVFLWIwNlug-vUn-TyA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dic3GVFLWIwNlug-vUn-TyA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D197.18385%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Looks like this bridge can hold 2 more lanes.

[MASTERNC]

^^^^^

when looking at that, there's a big stub right here. I wonder what this is going to be

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.6569267,-77.4438188,3a,75y,331.77h,82.32t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sic3GVFLWIwNlug-vUn-TyA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dic3GVFLWIwNlug-vUn-TyA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D197.18385%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Looks like this bridge can hold 2 more lanes.

That's the ramp from I-295 North to I-95 North, it appears.  Thought that was 3 lanes at one point and they cut back?  The corresponding SB-SB ramp is 3 lanes.

[tolbs17]

^^^^^

when looking at that, there's a big stub right here. I wonder what this is going to be

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.6569267,-77.4438188,3a,75y,331.77h,82.32t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sic3GVFLWIwNlug-vUn-TyA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dic3GVFLWIwNlug-vUn-TyA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D197.18385%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Looks like this bridge can hold 2 more lanes.

That's the ramp from I-295 North to I-95 North, it appears.  Thought that was 3 lanes at one point and they cut back?  The corresponding SB-SB ramp is 3 lanes.

Or they were probably saving those lanes once I-95 gets widened to 8 lanes, or have express lanes there in the future.

[sprjus4]

or have express lanes there in the future.

There were never plans for express lanes in Richmond, nor are there today.

[tolbs17]

Another stub here too.

[Mapmikey]

^^^^^

when looking at that, there's a big stub right here. I wonder what this is going to be

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.6569267,-77.4438188,3a,75y,331.77h,82.32t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sic3GVFLWIwNlug-vUn-TyA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dic3GVFLWIwNlug-vUn-TyA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D197.18385%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Looks like this bridge can hold 2 more lanes.

That's the ramp from I-295 North to I-95 North, it appears.  Thought that was 3 lanes at one point and they cut back?  The corresponding SB-SB ramp is 3 lanes.

Or they were probably saving those lanes once I-95 gets widened to 8 lanes, or have express lanes there in the future.

This was originally built with the idea that I-295 would become I-95 and there would then be 3 though lanes through here.

Once I-295 was finished south to I-95 below Petersburg, they elected not to do the renumberings...

[tolbs17]

^^^^^

when looking at that, there's a big stub right here. I wonder what this is going to be

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.6569267,-77.4438188,3a,75y,331.77h,82.32t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sic3GVFLWIwNlug-vUn-TyA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dic3GVFLWIwNlug-vUn-TyA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D197.18385%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Looks like this bridge can hold 2 more lanes.

That's the ramp from I-295 North to I-95 North, it appears.  Thought that was 3 lanes at one point and they cut back?  The corresponding SB-SB ramp is 3 lanes.

Or they were probably saving those lanes once I-95 gets widened to 8 lanes, or have express lanes there in the future.

This was originally built with the idea that I-295 would become I-95 and there would then be 3 though lanes through here.

Once I-295 was finished south to I-95 below Petersburg, they elected not to do the renumberings...

Do you have any document?

[froggie]

Kozel has it well-documented on his website.  This was over 3 decades back.

[sprjus4]

Do you have any document?

Virginia got federal approval in the late 1970s to build a new Interstate corridor to parallel the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike (RPT). The RPT was designated with I-95 for most of its length, and with I-85 on the southern 4 miles. The RPT was a state-built tollroad, opened in 1958; no federal funds were used. The new Interstate would provide a new I-85 and new I-95, south and east of Petersburg. The RPT would have had the Interstate signing removed, and become a state route. Two sections of federally-funded Interstate leading to the RPT would have been bypassed also; about 3 miles of I-85 west of Petersburg would have become I-385, and about 4 miles of I-95 south of Petersburg would have become I-795. I-295 northeast of Richmond would have become I-95, and I-95 from I-295 (north junction) to I-195 would have become I-195. In other words, what today is the I-295 bypass of I-95, would have been I-95.

The new I-85 section south of Petersburg was never built. The new I-95 east of Petersburg and Richmond was built from 1984 to 1992. The state and federal project numbers on the design documents were for I-95. As sections opened to traffic, southward from US-60 east of Richmond, they extended the I-295 corridor southward and carried the I-295 signage. When the road was completed, it all carried the I-295 signage. The decision was made to leave the I-95 and I-85 signage on the RPT, and to sign the new road as I-295. Incidentally, when the new road opened, the tolls ceased on the RPT, and the toll booths were removed within six months.

http://www.roadstothefuture.com/RPT_I295.html

[tolbs17]

Yeah I like where I-95 and I-295 is. I don't see any need to making I-295 I-95. I-85 is displaced IMO though.

[sprjus4]

I-85 is displaced IMO though.

How?

[Beltway]

This was originally built with the idea that I-295 would become I-95 and there would then be 3 though lanes through here.
Once I-295 was finished south to I-95 below Petersburg, they elected not to do the renumberings...

Right, 4 lanes northbound on that connector between the Beltway and I-95 North, with the outer lane dropping just before the merge.

Originally they had all those lanes open, but based on traffic volumes, they repainted the connector to have 3 lanes dropping down to 2 lanes before the merge.

[tolbs17]

I-85 is displaced IMO though.

How?

Like what's the need of having two north-south interstates that enter the Richmond metro ?

[Beltway]

I-85 is displaced IMO though.

How?

Like what's the need of having two north-south interstates that enter the Richmond metro ?

Think of current I-295 extended to I-85/US-460.

That would have been the relocated I-85 under that plan.

All of I-295 that is east of current I-95 would have been the relocated I-95.

[sprjus4]

I-85 is displaced IMO though.

How?

Like what's the need of having two north-south interstates that enter the Richmond metro ?

It feeds traffic from the southwest (from cities such as Mobile, Montgomery, Atlanta, Greenville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham, and everything in between) to I-95 North.

It just happens to meet in Petersburg.

[sprjus4]

I-85 is displaced IMO though.

How?

Like what's the need of having two north-south interstates that enter the Richmond metro ?

Think of current I-295 extended to I-85/US-460.

That would have been the relocated I-85 under that plan.

All of I-295 that is east of current I-95 would have been the relocated I-95.

Essentially, how it is today with I-85 and I-95 meeting in Petersburg, then heading northwards thru Richmond, but everything shifted outwards to a rural area.

[tolbs17]

I-85 is displaced IMO though.

How?

Like what's the need of having two north-south interstates that enter the Richmond metro ?

Think of current I-295 extended to I-85/US-460.

That would have been the relocated I-85 under that plan.

All of I-295 that is east of current I-95 would have been the relocated I-95.

Essentially, how it is today with I-85 and I-95 meeting in Petersburg, then heading northwards thru Richmond, but everything shifted outwards to a rural area.

Do you think I-295 should be renumbered I-95 and I-85 extended?

[sprjus4]

Do you think I-295 should be renumbered I-95 and I-85 extended?

No, and it couldn't be I-85 Extended since that leg was never constructed.

[Beltway]

Do you think I-295 should be renumbered I-95 and I-85 extended?

No, not at this point.

That I-85 segment wasn't built, and I tend to think it better to have I-95 stay in Petersburg and Richmond, and for the bypass to be an I-x95, and for I-85 to junction I-95 in Petersburg.

[tolbs17]

Do you think I-295 should be renumbered I-95 and I-85 extended?

No, not at this point.

That I-85 segment wasn't built, and I tend to think it better to have I-95 stay in Petersburg and Richmond, and for the bypass to be an I-x95, and for I-85 to junction I-95 in Petersburg.

I agree with you. It's the best of having a main parent route (xx) through towns and bypasses xxx routes.

[Rothman]

Taken to its logical conclusion, that could be a reckless financial management strategy.
"I need the money now, so I will max out all these credit cards, and not think about whether I will ever be able to pay off these debts in the future."

It will be interesting to see what happens in the future with this situation if this is indeed the road they continue down.
At least another $1 billion or more will be funded through bonds and loans in the near future simply adding more debt and interest to be paid off. Some of it will be paid back via toll revenue collected on HO/T lanes, the rest with tax dollars.
The question is though - how else do you accelerate and get all of these projects funded?

How else and get all ...  ?

You don't pile large amounts of more debt upon large amounts of previous and unretired debt.

That is not a sustainable process, increasing amounts of P + I need to be serviced every month.

Financial Management 101.

You did work for state DOTs, right?  Your shock at this is rather strange.  Resistance to raising taxes has forced a lot of states to go to bonding to ridiculous levels to meet citizens' demands.  Heck, NY's drunk on personal income tax bonds right now, with them funding megaprojects (Hunts Point, Van Wyck) and other initiatives. I want to confirm how much of the capital program is funded in this manner, because what I think it is off the top of my head is unbelievable.

(personal opinion addressed)