CHESAPEAKE, Va. – A $409.6 million contract was awarded Tuesday for the construction of a new High Rise Bridge and the widening of about eight miles of I-64.
The contract was awarded by the Commonwealth Transportation Board to Granite/Parsons/Corman, Joint Ventures of Tarrytown, NY. It’s the largest design-build contract in Virginia Department of Transportation History.
The project will widen I-64 from four lanes to six lanes from a half-mile east of the I-264 interchange at Bowers Hill to one mile east of the I-464 interchange. One High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane will be added in each direction.
The new High Rise Bridge will be built just south of the existing bridge and will carry the westbound traffic of I-64 over the Elizabeth River. The existing High Rise Bridge will carry the three lanes of eastbound traffic over the river once the project is complete.
The project includes the replacement of the overpass bridge at Great Bridge Boulevard and a realignment of the roadway.
The existing overpasses over Military Highway, Yadkin Road and Shell Road will be widened.
VDOT says the project is being paid for with a combination of funds from the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission and the state’s SMART SCALE program.
The project is expected to be finished in the summer of 2021. A future phase 2 project will expand the corridor to a total of eight lanes and replace the existing High Rise Bridge.