Commonwealth Transportation Board approves I-64, I-95 improvements

The Commonwealth Transportation Board has approved and adopted the Interstate 64 and the Interstate 95 corridor improvement plans and approved a suite of projects to be funded by the Interstate Operations and Enhancement Program.

These were the first projects approved by the CTB selected using the Program’s selection policy adopted by the CTB in June. The IOEP was codified in 2020 by the governor’s Omnibus Transportation legislation with the goal of improving safety, reliability, and travel flow along interstate corridors.

This action funds key operations, transportation demand management and highway capital improvements identified through the new performance-based corridor improvement plans and adds the projects to the Six-Year Improvement Program. Many projects associated with these improvement strategies will be initiated as soon as fall 2022.

“The Commonwealth is focusing on performance-based planning, using big data to identify critical transportation problems at a corridor level,” said Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. “This approach enables us to execute targeted solutions that most effectively address underlying transportation challenges and explore alternatives before committing to major capital investments.”

The CTB also approved the grant guidance document for DRPT’s new Freight Rail Enhancements to Increase Goods and Highway Throughput program that was presented to the CTB in July 2021. Funded by the Commonwealth Rail Fund’s allocation for Statewide Rail Planning and freight grant programs (approximately $10M in FY22), FREIGHT is focused on enhancing the freight rail network in Virginia.

In this month’s meeting, the CTB also approved three contracts totaling $25.7 million.

• A contract totaling $14.2 million was awarded to Joseph B. Fay Co. of Pittsburgh, PA to extend George Washington Boulevard (Route 1050) from its current intersection with Bridgefield Way/Research Place south to Russell Branch Parkway in Loudoun County via a new bridge over Route 7 in the Northern Virginia District. The project aims to relieve congestion and improve accessibility and connectivity for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. Completion is expected in spring 2024.
• A contract totaling $5.7 million was awarded to Southern Road & Bridge, LLC of Tarpon Springs, FL for bridge repairs on six structures in the Hampton Roads District. This work on Interstate 64 and Interstate 264 bridges will be performed within the existing right of way and no utilities will be impacted. Completion is expected in summer 2023.
• A contract totaling $5.8 million was awarded to Allegheny Construction Company, Inc., of Roanoke, VA for safety and connectivity improvements at 13th Street southeast between Church Avenue and Norfolk Avenue in Roanoke in the Salem District. The project will reconstruct 13th Street as a two-lane roadway with 10.5-foot wide travel lanes and a raised median. Completion is expected in summer 2023.

Appointed by the governor, the 17-member CTB establishes the administrative policies and approves funding allocation for Virginia’s transportation system.

For more information on CTB meeting times and locations:

• ctb.virginia.gov/public_meetings/schedule_overview/default.asp