NEW KENT — Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony in New Kent County this week to mark the start of the Interstate 64 widening from James City County to the Richmond area.
Youngkin launched the $756 million I-64 Gap Widening Project, hailed as a measure to increase capacity and mobility, alleviate congestion, improve safety and improve connectivity along the I-64 corridor.
The project will improve a 29-mile section of I-64 between Richmond and the Williamsburg area where the highway narrows from three to two lanes in each direction. Highway widening between Newport News and Williamsburg was completed in 2021.
The groundbreaking took place Monday at the New Kent Rest Area & Welcome Center on I-64 in Providence Forge.
Work is beginning this month to add a general purpose lane on the eastbound and westbound sides of a 10.7-mile stretch of I-64 just west of the Bottoms Bridge exit to just east of the New Kent Courthouse/Providence Forge exit in New Kent County.
The project will be the first of three segments that will widen I-64 from four to six lanes from mile marker 204.9 in New Kent County to mile marker 233.3 in James City County. When the project is completed, there will be no two-lane sections of interstate remaining between Richmond and Hampton Roads.
“Transportation drives commerce, economic growth and connects Virginians across the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said. “Through continued investments in our local and regional communities, the I-64 Widening Project will help unlock the corridor to unify the Richmond and Hampton Roads regions and enhance job opportunities and economic prosperity.
“We’ve only just broken ground on the project and we’re already seeing companies make significant investments along the corridor,” he added.
Mega convenience store Buc-ee’s has announced plans to come to New Kent County within the next few years, while work is underway for an 800,000-square-foot AutoZone distribution center.
Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller said the I-64 corridor serves as a key connector between Richmond, Henrico, Hanover, New Kent, Hampton Roads and James City counties.
“Connecting the Central Virginia and Hampton Roads regions is critical to growing Virginia’s economy, and safety is an important component as well,” Miller said. “The I-64 Gap Project will improve traffic flow and operations, including strengthening our emergency evacuation routes and ensuring our communities have a lifeline to safety.”
Congressman Rob Wittman, who attended the ceremony, described the I-64 Gap Widening as a “game-changing project for the communities surrounding Richmond and Hampton Roads.”
The work has been divided into three sections of I-64, labeled Segments A, B and C. Each part will be constructed as an operationally independent project. The anticipated completion date for all three segments is spring 2028.
David Macaulay, davidmacaulayva@gmail.com
