Interstate 64

Interstate 64 stretches 300.10 miles across Virginia from the West Virginia state line near Alleghany to Bowers Hill within the city of Chesapeake. The freeway rolls gracefully across the Appalachian Mountains to a 30 mile overlap with I-81 between Lexington and Staunton. East from there, I-64 serves Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia, and the capital city of Richmond including a short concurrency with I-95 along the former Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike.

Beyond Richmond, I-64 takes a southeasterly heading to Williamsburg and Hampton Roads, spanning the waters between Hampton and Norfolk across the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. The route doubles back to the west from Virginia Beach through Chesapeake along the Hampton Roads Beltway to a terminus with both I-264 west from Portsmouth and I-664 south from Newport News. The majority of I-64 in Virginia superseded the route of U.S. 60.

Interstate 64 Virginia Guides

The first section of I-64 opened in Virginia was the portion along the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike (I-95) in 1958. The route was completed across the state in June 1979 when the section from Clifton Forge to Longdale Furnace in Alleghany County opened.¹

Hampton Roads Express Lanes

The reversible HOV lanes along Interstate 64, 8.4 miles from the exchange with I-264 (Virginia Beach Norfolk Expressway) northwest to I-564 (Admiral Taussig Boulevard) were converted to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. The Commonwealth Transportation Board voted to approve the conversion on October 19, 2016, which cost $10 million for the addition of toll gantries and software. Tolls will cover those costs with profits funding improvements along the I-64 corridor regionally.² Previously opened to HOV-2 traffic only, the Express lanes commenced operation on January 10, 2018. Tolls are in effect from 5 to 9 AM weekdays westbound and 2 to 6 PM eastbound.³ All electronic tolling (AET) allows single occupant drivers to use the lanes with an E-ZPass Transponder. Carpool traffic can continue to use the lanes free of charge with an E-ZPass Flex Transponder with the HOV mode activated.

Further extension of the Express Lanes got underway in late 2020 along the I-64 HOV lanes southwest from the exchange with I-264 in Norfolk to I-464/U.S. 17/SR 168 in Chesapeake. The $19.2 million project converting the eight mile long HOV lanes to HOT lanes runs through Fall 2022. Upon completion of the Hampton Roads Express Lanes Chesapeake Segment, the lanes will operate with tolling 24 hours a day, seven days a week.⁴

The succeeding phase expanding the Hampton Roads Express Lanes starts in late 2022. The future project lengthens the HOT lanes west from I-464 across the High-Rise Bridge to the exchange with I-264/664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake.⁵

Interstate 64 Widening Project

The three phase Interstate 64 Widening Project expanded the freeway to six overall lanes northwest from Newport News into York County. Segment I expanded a 5.6 mile long section of I-64 to six overall lanes from west of SR 143 (Jefferson Avenue) at Exit 255 to just east of SR 238 (Yorktown Road) at Exit 247. It was completed on December 1, 2017. Segment II work extended 7.08 miles west to a point 1.05 miles beyond the exchange with SR 199 (Humelsine Parkway) and Marquis Center Parkway at Exit 242.⁶ Costing $176 million, construction on the second phase ran from 2016 to June 2019.⁷

Interstate 64 Widening Segment III Project in York County expanded 8.2 miles of I-64 with a 12 foot wide travel lane and 12 foot wide shoulder in each direction. Additionally the eastbound exit to SR 143 was reconstructed with a signal added.⁷ Construction along I-64 ran from one mile west of SR 199/Newman Road (Exit 234) to 1.05 miles west of SR 199/Marquis Center Parkway (Exit 242). Work on the $262 million phase⁷ commenced in August 2018 and was completed in December 2021.⁸

The Virginia General Assembly allocated up to $93.1 million from federal COVID-19 relief funds on February 25, 2021 for further improvements along I-64. This includes the proposed 44 mile network of Express Lanes, from SR 143 (Jefferson Avenue) in Newport News southeast to the end of I-64 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake. Projected to cost $806 million, among the projects for new I-64 Express Lanes are constructing the HOT lane approaches to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT), modifications to the interchange with I-564 (Admiral Taussig Boulevard) and adding HOT lanes between LA Salle Avenue and U.S. 258 (Mercury Boulevard) in Hampton. Funds also support a nearly 30 mile expansion of I-64 from Exit 205 near Bottoms Bridge and Exit 234 at Lightfoot.⁹

Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion

The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT) opened to traffic with two lanes in 1957. It was expanded to four lanes in 1976. Chronic congestion at the crossing developed, resulting in plans to add twin, two-lane bored tunnels. The $3.86 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion project also includes expanding the four lane sections of I-64 north of the HRBT between Phoebus in Hampton to Settlers Landing Road and south from Willoughby to I-564 in Norfolk.¹⁰ The Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability commission debt and tax revenue collections fund $3.21 billion of the work.⁹ A ground breaking ceremony was held for the largest infrastructure project in state history on October 29, 2020. Tunneling operations are expected to start in early 2022. The design-build project is slated or completion in November 2025.¹⁰

scenes

Scenic Drive joins SR 850 (Midland Trail / old U.S. 60) with I-64/U.S. 50 at Exit 43 between Brushy and North Mountains. 07/16/05

I-64/U.S. 60 continue west from Exit 43 to Clifton Forge and Covington. 07/16/05

The access road connecting Busch Gardens Boulevard and U.S. 60 with Interstate 64 at Williamsburg ties into a trumpet interchange at exit 243 A. 05/26/22

Photo Credits:

07/16/05, 05/26/22 by AARoads

Connect with:
Interstate 81
Interstate 295
Interstate 95
Interstate 664
Interstate 564 - Admiral Taussig Boulevard
Interstate 264
Interstate 464
U.S. 60
U.S. 11
U.S. 250
U.S. 29
U.S. 15
U.S. 522
U.S. 33
U.S. 1

Page Updated 12-13-2022.