The grand opening of a new 2-mile extension of Commander Shepard Boulevard will be held Wednesday, January 15th at 10:00 a.m.
The new extension contains a divided roadway, sound walls, bike lanes and sidewalks and serves as a gateway to Hampton Roads Center North Business Park, Langley Air Force Base, and the NASA Langley Research Center.
The road also connects Big Bethel Road and Magruder Boulevard.
The first phase of the Commander Shepard project – from Magruder Boulevard to North Campus Parkway – included construction of a new bridge at Magruder Boulevard and establishing a grade separated interchange. City staff began working on the project in 1997 and it was finished in 2010 at a cost of $14 million.
The second phase of the project – from North Campus Parkway to Big Bethel Road – includes new sound walls, bike lanes, landscaping and sidewalks. The project started in April of 2012 and was completed at a cost of $9.5 million.
In the next year or so, Hampton is expected to expand the gateway to Newport News by widening Saunders Road – where Commander Shepard Boulevard ends – starting at the intersection with Big Bethel Road.
