THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606230101
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: 37 lines
Interstate 64 between Richmond and Hampton could become a virtual parking lot by 2015 unless it is widened or travelers trade their car keys for train tickets, state highway officials say.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board on Thursday approved a $2.2 million, 18-month study of ways to ease congestion on a 75-mile stretch of I-64 from the Interstate 95 interchange in Richmond to the Interstate 664 interchange in Hampton.
One option would be to widen the road from four to six lanes in some areas and six to eight lanes in others. Another option would be to add High Occupancy Vehicle lanes, which are limited to vehicles carrying two or more people. The study also will examine adding commuter rail or beefing up Amtrak service.
Whatever plan emerges, officials say, leaving the highway as it is won't work.
``It would be a parking lot,'' said Irene Shuman, a Hampton-based senior transportation engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.
I-64 traffic levels range from 37,000 vehicles per day in parts of New Kent County to 100,000 in Hampton. By 2015, traffic will rise to between 57,000 and more than 150,000 vehicles, VDOT warns.
The study, to be conducted by the consulting firm Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas, will include local planning organizations from Richmond and Hampton, along with VDOT planners, railroad officials and representatives of CSX Transportation Inc., the freight railroad that owns the tracks used by Amtrak between Richmond and Newport News.
Leo Bevon, director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, said rail won't supplant highways, but could help relieve the pressure. by CNB