Chesapeake City VA launches toll financed bridge replacement/US17-Dominion Avenue

The City of Chesapeake is launching another toll-financed highway upgrade - construction of a 4-lane high level bridge in place of a 2-lane low level lift-span for the US17/Dominion Boulevard at the Southern Branch of the estuarial Elizabeth River in Chesapeake VA. This is on the southwest fringe of the greater Norfolk/Hampton Roads metro area.

The project being managed by Virginia DOT on behalf of the City will also upgrade 3.8 miles, 6km of highway on either side of the bridge.

Location is just 8 miles, 13km due south of the downtown/port of Norfolk, and just over a mile from the I-64 belt route around the east and south of the area.

The present highway of one lane per direction is low and prone to flooding. The new stretch of highway will be 2x2 lanes and built on girders and piers or on fill above flood level.

The present drawbridge lifts about 6,000 times per year, causing significant delays to ground traffic and shipping. Emergency services response is often seriously handicapped by the drawbridge being 'up.'

The Southern Branch is maintained by dredging as part of the Intra Coastal Waterway and is an important approach to the port of Norfolk.

US17 is part of a route between Norfolk VA and Raleigh NC. It has a relatively high volume of trucks - 12% of vehicles - and most are bound for the port of Norfolk.

Estimated cost of construction is $412m.

The US17 route is immediately west of the VA168 Chesapeake Expressway which was upgraded several years ago to expressway standard with tolls. A successful tollroad the Expressway serves traffic between the Hampton Rpads area and the North Carolina Outer Banks. The two converge close to I-64 at their northern end

Chesapeake will pledge the toll revenues of both the established Expressway and the newly tolled US17 to raise the money for the project.

Design is virtually done, land acquisition is about half done, and permits are hoped to be obtained by April.

Present plans call for advertising construction in July 2012 with financial close in August and award of a contract September. The schedule provides for finishing the project four years later in mid 2016.

Tolling will be all electronic.

No information yet on expected traffic and revenue, or toll rates.

TOLLROADSnews 2012-01-19