HAMPTON, Va. — It’s back to school and back to college for students up on the Peninsula. If you are frequently driving through that area, you may notice some changes.
One person impacted by these changes is Hampton University senior Maya Skipper, who says construction has increased in the area since she was a freshman.
“We do experience a lot of traffic because there’s a lot of roadblocks due to the construction. And it makes our route even longer than it needs to be,” she said.
There’s a good reason for those changes, though: The city of Hampton and the Virginia Department of Transportation's focus is to create safer and more efficient roadways, starting with one of the main routes into Hampton, the HRBT.
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Drivers shouldn’t expect any more traffic shifts for the remainder of the year, according to Project Director Ryan Banas.
“We’re at least about a year away from any more traffic shifts. So the majority of our construction that will take place up there will be all in our existing lane closures,” he told News 3.
The last of those shifts occurred relatively recently when cars were moved onto the new portion of the Mallory Street Bridge.
“That allows us to now deconstruct or demolish the existing remainder of the bridge so we can finish that expansion there,” Banas said.
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Because of that construction, there is now a new walkway on that bridge to connect the VA, Hampton University and Phoebus for those who prefer walking.
Construction is also ongoing on Wythe Creek Road. The project includes increasing vehicle capacity by widening the road, putting in new sidewalks and building a bridge along the causeway to improve the evacuation route in the area.
You will see a single-lane closure in that area.
On Settlers Landing Road, you will come across intermittent nighttime closures as part of the VDOT’s Hampton Roads Express Lanes program.
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The goal is to create around 45 miles of express lanes for I-64, running from Denbigh Blvd in Newport News to Bowers Hill in Chesapeake.
The project will widen I-64, repave the existing lanes and add an extra travel lane in each direction from west of Mallory Street to LaSalle Avenue.
"As traffic demand continues to increase in the region, incorporating the Express Lanes dynamic tolling model, together with other interstate improvements, provides an additional approach to managing congestion in the long term and providing more travel choices and a reliable travel network for Hampton Roads motorists,” said VDOT’s District Communications Manager, Brittany McBride, in an email to News 3.
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Drivers may want to slow down in the area as well since more red light cameras will be in effect. Previously, the city was using police officers.
“It’s not a great use of resources committing that much time to one spot, and we believe this will be effective," said Hampton Communications Manager Mike Holtzclaw.
Starting in the new school year, more cameras were implemented. These are school zone cameras that you’ll find at seven schools: Bethel High School, Hampton High School, Hunter B Andrews Pre-K, Jones Magnet Middle School, Lindsay Middle School, and Machen Elementary School.
