AASHTO Journal - VDOT Starts on Section of Hampton Roads Express Lanes

The Virginia Department of Transportation recently hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hampton Roads Express Lanes Norfolk Segment 1B Project; an event that celebrated the continued financial partnership among the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia DOT, the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau.

[Above photo by VDOT]

Construction on the Norfolk Segment 1B Project begins in fall 2026, with estimated completion in late 2029, the agency said.

The $389 million design-build contract for the Norfolk Segment 1B Project was awarded in early 2026, with final design and preliminary work underway ahead of construction. The project spans approximately seven miles along I-64 in Norfolk and will add a part-time Express Lanes option from east of I-264 to Tidewater Drive in the westbound direction and from Tidewater Drive to Northampton Boulevard in the eastbound direction, while maintaining the three existing general-purpose lanes in each direction.

The project also includes improvements to 21 bridges through replacement, widening, and rehabilitation, along with other corridor improvements such as spot roadway widening and installation of overhead signs, tolling gantries, and noise barriers.

The ceremony highlighted the recent issuance of a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act or TIFIA loan of up to $310.2 million from USDOT that supports the Norfolk Segment 1B Project and other investments advancing the Hampton Roads Express Lanes network.

“As we build an Express Lanes system designed to provide motorists with another choice for more reliable travel, we are also modernizing and extending the useful life of the infrastructure that makes those trips possible every day,” said Nick Donohue, VDOT secretary, in a statement.

“The Norfolk Segment 1B Project allows us to make both of those investments at the same time, improving how this corridor serves Hampton Roads today while helping preserve it for the future,” he noted.

The Norfolk Segment 1B will ultimately become part of the planned continuous 45-mile high-occupancy toll Express Lanes network along I-64, extending from west of Denbigh Boulevard in Newport News to the I-264/I-664 Bowers Hill interchange in Chesapeake.