Hampton Roads

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.

A group led by Skanska is proposing tolls on the three major crossings in the Hampton Roads area to fund $3.5b to $4.5b of works including additional travel lanes on the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT) and on I-64 on either side, as well as improvements and upkeep of the I-664 Monitor Merrimack Memorial Bridge Tunnel (MMMBT) a

Skanska, Kiewit, Weeks Marine and Parsons Brinckerhoff have teamed up to make an unsolicited proposal to Virginia DOT to develop and operate the I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel plus I-64 between I-664 and I-564.

Regional authorities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads are given tolling & concession powers in HB3202 a complex and much fought over transport funding bill passed by the Virginia legislature Apr 4.

Major focus in the mainstream media coverage has been the bill's increases in taxes, although tolls offer far greater potential for raising new revenue that the rather minor proposed increases the tax on motor vehicle insurance premiums and in the state diesel fuel tax.