South Tidewater News

Contractor crews with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) are preparing to initiate a long-term temporary traffic shift on I-64 west between Tidewater Drive and Patrol Road in Norfolk. This change is expected to start as early as overnight on February 10, 2025.

The new roadway configuration will result in the closure of one I-64 west mainline lane near East Little Creek Road until late 2025. A new temporary general-purpose lane will be introduced alongside the existing Norfolk Reversible Express Lanes for motorists traveling west toward the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT). This lane will eventually become a westbound Express Lane and can be accessed from a newly constructed left entrance ramp on I-64 west after Tidewater Drive and before Little Creek Road. Concrete barriers will separate Express Lanes traffic from this alternate lane.

Motorists using this alternate lane can continue on I-64 west past Granby Street but won't have access to exits at East Little Creek Road, I-564, or Granby Street. One through lane will remain open along the mainline, providing access to all exits along I-64 west. The alternate lane will merge back into the mainline past Patrol Road.

The implementation of this traffic shift is planned over several nights, beginning as early as February 10, weather permitting. Overnight closures are scheduled from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., involving various single- and multi-lane closures and ramp closures on I-64 west, including:

- North and southbound Tidewater Drive to I-64 west

- I-64 west to Granby Street

- I-64 west to I-564 west

- I-64 west to East Little Creek Road

- I-564 east to I-64 west

The new inside alternate lane is expected to open within the first nights of implementation. It will be available before a full overnight closure of the mainline lanes between Tidewater Drive and Patrol Road, during which all traffic will use the new inside alternate lane. Traffic can still access exits at I-564 west and East Little Creek Road during this closure. Afterward, a long-term single-lane closure will be implemented through fall 2025.

Motorists are encouraged to use VDOT's free 511 Virginia traffic tools or the Waze GPS app for real-time road conditions before traveling. These resources provide information about construction, traffic incidents, congestion, weather impacts, and more.

This work is part of phase one of HREL Norfolk Segment construction projects that began in summer 2023. It includes converting an existing shoulder into a high-occupancy tolled Express Lane running alongside three general-purpose lanes between Patrol Road and Tidewater Drive for two miles, along with widening and rehabilitating several bridges on I-64.

The HREL Norfolk Segment aims to become part of a continuous 45-mile high-occupancy toll Express Lanes network on I-64 from Newport News to Chesapeake. As regional traffic demand increases, these improvements offer additional strategies for managing congestion while providing more travel choices for Hampton Roads motorists. For more information about the Hampton Roads Express Lanes projects or construction updates, visit 64expresslanes.org.