| Interstate 264 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by VDOT | ||||
| Length: | 25.07 mi[1][2] (40.35 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1960 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end: | I-64 / I-664 in Chesapeake | |||
|
US 17 in Portsmouth |
||||
| East end: | Parks Avenue in Virginia Beach | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | City of Chesapeake, City of Portsmouth, City of Norfolk, City of Virginia Beach | |||
| Highway system | ||||
|
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System Virginia Routes
|
||||
Interstate 264 (abbreviated I-264) is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from a junction with Interstate 64 and Interstate 664 (Hampton Roads Beltway) near Bowers Hill in Chesapeake east into Portsmouth and through the Downtown Tunnel under the South Branch of the Elizabeth River into Norfolk. At the Interstate 464 interchange in the Berkley section of Norfolk, I-264 turns north, crossing the East Branch into downtown Norfolk on the Berkley Bridge, one of a small number of drawbridges on the Interstate Highway System. I-264 then heads east through Norfolk, crossing Interstate 64 at the east side of the Hampton Roads Beltway, and into Virginia Beach, where it ends at Parks Avenue just short of the Atlantic Ocean. From this point, 21st and 22nd streets continue as a one-way pair with no route designation to U.S. Route 60 (Pacific Avenue).
The original section of I-264, designated in the late 1950s, lies between the two I-64 junctions. The piece east to the Virginia Beach waterfront was built as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway (a toll road until 1995), and carried State Route 44 until I-264 was extended over it in 1999.
When I-64 was augmented in the 1990s with reversible HOV lanes, I-264 towards Virginia Beach (then SR 44) was designated as the eastern terminus of the reversible lanes and one of the few direct exits from/entrances to the HOV lanes.
I-264 is a part of the National Highway System for its entire length.[3]
Contents |
Originally, in 1960, I-264 was planned as an Interstate highway through downtown Norfolk, Virginia
The Virginia Beach Expressway (also known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway) was a 12-mile (19.3 km) limited access highway built to Interstate Highway standards extending between the independent cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Until 1999, it was signed as State Route 44.
Built and funded with toll revenue bonds, it opened on December 1, 1967 as SR 44. The Expressway ran from an interchange with Interstate 64 and Interstate 264 in Norfolk almost due east to the oceanfront area of Virginia Beach. The original road had 4 lanes (2 each way). It was widened to six lanes in the 1980s, and to eight lanes in the early 1990s.
While tolls existed, there were two toll rates, depending on whether or not you passed the main toll barrier between Rosemont Road and Independence Boulevard on your trip. If you exited before the main barrier or entered beyond it, you would need to pass a small row of automated, ungated toll collectors where you are supposed to pay the reduced toll. Attempting to drive past without paying would result in an alarm bell ringing. Police were instructed to stop motorists who attempted this if they saw it.
| Vehicle Type | Main Toll Barrier | Exit Before/ Enter After Barrier |
|---|---|---|
| Cars & and other two-axle vehicles |
$0.25 | $0.10 |
| Other Vehicles | $0.25 + $0.10/axle over two | $0.05/axle |
On June 1, 1995, the bonds were retired, and tolls and toll booths were removed in 1996. In July 1999, the former Virginia Beach Expressway was renumbered to I-264, effectively creating an eastward continuation of the original I-264, which ran through the downtown areas of Portsmouth and Norfolk and ended at I-64 (where the Expressway began). This is now the point where I-264 intersects and crosses the I-64 portion of the Hampton Roads Beltway near Military Circle in Norfolk.
I-264 begins at a full Y interchange in the Bowers Hill area of the city of Chesapeake. This interchange also serves as the eastern terminus of I-64 and the southern terminus of I-664, which together comprise the Hampton Roads Beltway. I-664 is used to access US 13, US 58, and US 460, which all head west toward Suffolk. I-264 heads northeast as a four-lane freeway into the city of Portsmouth, where the highway meets Greenwood Drive at a cloverleaf interchange and SR 239 (Victory Boulevard) at a diamond interchange where the Interstate expands to six lanes. The Interstate highway begins an unsigned concurrency with US 460 Alternate at a partial interchange with SR 337 (Portsmouth Boulevard), which allows access between I-264 toward Chesapeake and SR 337 toward Norfolk and between SR 337 toward Chesapeake and I-264 toward Norfolk. I-264 continues east through a partial cloverleaf interchange with US 17 (Frederick Boulevard) and a partial junction with Des Moines Avenue that allows access to and from the west.[1][4]
I-264's final interchange in Portsmouth provides access to SR 141 (Effingham Street) in downtown Portsmouth; westbound I-264 traffic has ramps to and from Bart Street. This interchange, which also serves the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, is where the Interstate reduces to four lanes and descends into the Downtown Tunnel under the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River. I-264 surfaces in the city of Norfolk and immediately has an interchange with I-464, which heads south toward Chesapeake. The I-464 interchange also provides access to Berkley Avenue in the Berkley section of Norfolk. I-264 curves north as an eight-lane highway that crosses the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River on a drawbridge. At the north end of the drawbridge, the two directions of the Interstate temporarily split and have a series of ramps to Waterside Drive, St. Paul's Boulevard, City Hall Avenue, and Tidewater Drive at the eastern end of Downtown Norfolk. These streets provide access to Harbor Park, a baseball stadium that is home to the Norfolk Tides.[1][4]
I-264 continues east as an eight-lane freeway between the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River to the south and the Tide Light Rail tracks to the north. The Interstate has an interchange with US 460, SR 166, and SR 168, which head northwest toward downtown Norfolk as Brambleton Avenue and south across the river as Compostella Road. There is no access between Brambleton Avenue and I-264 toward downtown. East of US 460, the freeway passes to the south of Norfolk State University and has a diamond interchange with SR 405 (Ballentine Boulevard). I-264 crosses Broad Creek and gains collector-distributor lanes for the next three, closely spaced interchanges. These junctions include a cloverleaf interchange with US 13 (Military Highway), a cloverleaf interchange with several flyover ramps at I-64 (Hampton Roads Beltway), and a partial cloverleaf interchange with SR 403 (Newtown Road). The middle carriageway of I-64 headed north, which has two HOV lanes, merges with both directions of I-264 heading east. I-264 enters the city of Virginia Beach at the Newtown Road interchange.[1][4]
I-264 continues east as the Virginia Beach Expressway, an eight-lane freeway where the innermost lane in each direction is an HOV lane. The first two interchanges in Virginia Beach, a partial cloverleaf junction with SR 190 (Witchduck Road) and a cloverleaf interchange with SR 225 (Independence Boulevard), serve the Pembroke Area, which is the central business district of the city. Independence Boulevard also leads southeast toward Mount Trashmore Park, a reused landfill that is visible from the freeway, and further on towards the Virginia Beach Amphitheater and eventually the city's government center at Princess Anne. I-264 next has a partial cloverleaf interchange with Rosemont Road and a cloverleaf interchange with Lynnhaven Parkway, which leads to the Lynnhaven Mall. The Interstate crosses London Bridge Creek, a tributary of the Lynnhaven River, ahead of a crossover interchange that connects the freeway toward Norfolk with US 58 (Laskin Road) and US 58 Business (Virginia Beach Boulevard) toward the oceanfront. I-264's HOV lanes end and the highway reduces to six lanes ahead of the interchange with First Colonial Road north of Oceana Naval Air Station. The Interstate crosses Great Neck Creek and has its final interchange, a partial interchange with Bird Neck Road that provides an alternative route to the oceanfront, before approaching its eastern terminus. I-264's eastern terminus is at Parks Avenue just north of the Virginia Beach Convention Center. The carriageways continue east as a one-way pair, 21st Street eastbound and 22nd Street westbound, east to US 60 (Pacific Avenue) and Atlantic Avenue at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.[2][4]
| County | Location | Mile[1][2] | Old exit | New exit | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Chesapeake |
0.00 | 1 | I-64 west / I-664 north (Hampton Roads Beltway) – Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Newport News | Western terminus of I-264; southern terminus of I-664; eastern terminus of I-64 | |||
| City of Portsmouth |
1.33 | 2 | Greenwood Drive | ||||
| 2.62 | 3 | SR 239 (Victory Boulevard) | SR 239 is unsigned from I-264 | ||||
| 3.56 | 4 | SR 337 east (Portsmouth Boulevard) | Eastbound exit, westbound entrance | ||||
| 3.56 | 4 | SR 337 west (Portsmouth Boulevard) | Westbound exit, eastbound entrance | ||||
| 4.28 | 5 | US 17 (Frederick Boulevard) – Midtown Tunnel | |||||
| Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway to US 58 / SR 164 (Western Freeway) – Midtown Tunnel | Future interchange[5] | ||||||
| 5.27 | 6 | Des Moines Avenue | Eastbound exit, westbound entrance | ||||
| 5.94 | 7 | SR 141 (Effingham Street) / Crawford Street – Downtown Portsmouth, Norfolk Naval Shipyard | Signed as exits 7A (south) and 7B (north) eastbound | ||||
| Southern Branch Elizabeth River |
6.81 | Downtown Tunnel | |||||
| City of Norfolk |
7.36 | 8 | I-464 south – Chesapeake | ||||
| Eastern Branch Elizabeth River |
Berkley Bridge | ||||||
| City of Norfolk |
7.52 | 9 | Waterside Drive / St. Paul's Boulevard | ||||
| 7.77 | 10 | Tidewater Drive north | Eastbound exit, westbound entrance | ||||
| 7.77 | 10 | City Hall Avenue west | Westbound exit, eastbound entrance | ||||
| 8.68 | 11 | US 460 / SR 166 / SR 168 (Brambleton Avenue/Compostella Road) | Signed as exits 11A (Compostella Road) and 11B (Brambleton Avenue) westbound; no access from eastbound I-264 to Brambleton Avenue | ||||
| 9.49 | 12 | SR 405 (Ballentine Boulevard) | SR 405 is unsigned from I-264 | ||||
| 13 | US 13 (Military Highway) | Signed as exits 13A (south) and 13B (north) | |||||
| 12.88 | 14 | I-64 (Hampton Roads Beltway) – Chesapeake, Richmond | Signed as exits 14A (Chesapeake) and 14B (Richmond) | ||||
| City of Virginia Beach |
13.62 | 1 | 15 | SR 403 (Newtown Road) | SR 403 is unsigned from I-264; signed as exits 15A (south) and 15B (north) eastbound | ||
| 15.02 | 2 | 16 | SR 190 (Witchduck Road) | SR 190 is unsigned from I-264 | |||
| 16.3 | 3 | 17 | SR 225 (Independence Boulevard) – Princess Anne, Pembroke Area | SR 225 is unsigned from I-264; Signed as exits 17A (Princess Anne) and 17B (Pembroke) | |||
| 18.64 | 4 | 18 | Rosemont Road | ||||
| 20.48 | 5 | 19 | Lynnhaven Parkway | Signed as exits 19A (south) and 19B (north) | |||
| 19C | London Bridge Road | Future interchange; will be eastbound exit and westbound entrance[6] | |||||
| 21.65 | 6 | 20 | US 58 east (Laskin Road) / US 58 Bus. east (Virginia Beach Boulevard) |
Eastbound exit, westbound entrance | |||
| 23.07 | 7 | 21 | First Colonial Road – Oceana Naval Air Station | Split into exits 21A (south) and 21B (north) eastbound | |||
| 24.43 | 8 | 22 | Birdneck Road | Eastbound exit, westbound entrance | |||
| 25.07 | Parks Avenue / 21st Street east – Virginia Beach Oceanfront | Eastern terminus of I-264; roadways continue as one-way pair, eastbound 21st Street and westbound 22nd Street | |||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus • Closed/Former • Incomplete access • Unopened |
|||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||