Interstate 64 in Virginia

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Interstate 64
Length:	297.62 mi[1] (478.97 km)
Formed:	1957
West end:	I-64/US 60 near White Sulphur Springs, WV
Major junctions:	I-81 near Lexington I-81 near Staunton I-95 in Richmond I-264 in Norfolk
East end:	I-264/I-664 in Chesapeake
Virginia Routes < SR 63 SR 65 > Primary - Secondary - History

Interstate 64 in Virginia runs east west through the middle of the state from West Virginia via Covington, Lexington, Staunton, and Charlottesville to Richmond. From Richmond, I-64 continues southeasterly through Newport News and Hampton to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, and then through Norfolk to end in Chesapeake.

Along with Interstate 664, I-64 east from near downtown Hampton is the Hampton Roads Beltway.

Contents 1 Notes 2 History 3 See also 4 References

[edit] Notes

The eastern terminus of I-64 is not the road's easternmost point. After crossing Hampton Roads through the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and entering Norfolk, the road makes a wide loop toward Virginia Beach and through that city's northwest side. The road then curves toward its final destination on the west side of Chesapeake. From the point where the road enters Chesapeake, I-64 "east" actually runs westward, ending at a location known as Bowers Hill near the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp where it becomes Interstate 664. Today, I-64 is no longer signed as east or west between Bowers Hill and the east junction with I-264 to limit possible confusion; instead it is signed as the inner or outer loop of the Hampton Roads Beltway. All entrance ramps between these two locations are signed with control cities that differ according to the location of the exit. For inner (eastbound) traffic, Suffolk is the most common control city used, although Norfolk is used at two entrances in Chesapeake to indicate the most direct route to Norfolk (via Interstate 464). For outer (westbound) traffic, Norfolk, Hampton, and Virginia Beach are variously used.

Interstate 64 in the Hampton Roads area is gradually being augmented with HOV-2 lanes. In the 1990s, reversible HOV-2 lanes were added between I-564 and I-264. A relatively simple design, it only allows direct exits to the aforementioned termini, slip ramps beyond them, and an additional pair of slip ramps just west (compass north) of the I-264 interchange. The reversible lanes operate westbound from around midnight to noon and eastbound from around noon to midnight. HOV restrictions are only in place during rush hour periods; at other times, any vehicle may use the lanes except during reversals at noon and midnight. Access is controlled by clock-controlled automated gates, and each ramp has multiple gates to provide a safeguard against malfunction. Beyond the reversible lanes, increasing lengths of Interstate 64 (and its spur routes) are receiving HOV-designated left lanes, subject to restrictions during rush hours. Such extensions are ongoing.

Since 2006, from Exit 200 (Interstate 295) to Exit 273 (U.S. Route 60 east of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel), a contraflow lane reversal system is in place to hasten an evacuation of the Hampton Roads area. Hurricane gates are installed at eastbound Interstate 64 entrance and exit ramps, and crossover roads are in place near the aforementioned exits. During a hurricane evacuation, the eastbound lanes of I-64 will be reversed into westbound lanes so hundreds of thousands of residents can evacuate.^[2]

Interstate 64 has two three-digit bypasses that are shorter than the main leg for through traffic, both in the Hampton Roads area. Interstate 664, which connects the Virginia Peninsula to South Hampton Roads on the western side of Chesapeake (and to the eastern terminus of I-64), is about 15 miles (24 km) shorter than the bypassed main leg. Interstate 264, which passes through downtown Norfolk, is about a mile (1.6 km) shorter than the main leg it bypasses.

[edit] History

From the time it was added to the proposed Interregional Highway System, I-64 was to use the U.S. Route 250 alignment west of Richmond.^[3][4][5][6] In the late 1950s, a number of interested citizens proposed that I-64 be realigned to run along U.S. Route 220, U.S. Route 460, State Route 307, and U.S. Route 360 from Clifton Forge via Cloverdale (near Roanoke), Lynchburg, and Farmville to Richmond. The state continued planning for the piece of the US 250 alignment from Richmond to Short Pump, which would be needed anyway to handle traffic.^[7]

[edit] See also

• Interstate 264
• Interstate 464
• Interstate 564
• Interstate 664
• Hampton Roads Beltway
• State Route 164

[edit] References

1. ^ Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002
2. ^ Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. prepares for hurricanes, April 30, 2006
3. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held in Richmond September 11, 1945PDF, page 12
4. ^ Routes of the Recommended Interregional Highway System, ca. 1943
5. ^ National System of Interstate Highways, August 2, 1947
6. ^ National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, September 1955
7. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held in Richmond, April 24th, 1958PDF, page 23

Preceded by West Virginia

Interstate 64 Virginia

Succeeded by terminus