Thousands of Virginians know New Kent County for the bougie rest area at mile marker 213 on Interstate 64 on the way to Virginia Beach.
The local economy there is about to get a shot in the arm from a development project, the New Kent City Center, which will bring distribution centers for AutoZone and Target, and, notably for those of us on our way to the beach, a Buc-ee’s.
A $20 million allocation from the Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund will go toward beefing up the Exit 211 interchange to accommodate all of this, plus the Farms of New Kent, a mixed-use development anticipated to include up to 2,500 residential units and 225,000 square feet of commercial space.
“Virginia and New Kent County are on the move,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who announced the $20 million in state money for the road work on Tuesday. “We are thrilled to partner with New Kent County, Central Virginia Transportation Authority and others to deliver funds to support necessary transportation investments along the booming I-64 corridor. With its proximity to the Port of Virginia and the I-64 Gap Widening Project fully underway, this corridor is attracting major investments slated to bring over 2,000 jobs and $2.25 billion in investment—a win for the county and the Commonwealth.”
The $20 million allocation announced by Youngkin will go toward the projected bottom-line $94 million total cost for the I-64 Exit 211 Interchange Improvement Project, which consists of constructing a new two-lane bridge, adjacent to the existing bridge, to carry Route 106 traffic over I-64, to facilitate the construction of a Diverging Diamond Interchange.
I-64 ramps will be widened and realigned to add capacity and tie into Route 106 improvements, which will provide additional capacity by taking the roadway from a three-lane undivided roadway to a four-lane divided roadway.
A shared-use path to support pedestrian and bicycle traffic will also be constructed generally along the west side of Route 106 for the length of the project.
“New Kent County is pleased to collaborate with the Commonwealth of Virginia to fund a major transportation infrastructure improvement at the I-64/Exit 211 interchange,” New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway said. “This investment will support major economic development activity taking place in New Kent resulting in hundreds of high paying jobs in the manufacturing and warehouse distribution industry.”
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Chris Graham
