Below is a list of current major transportation projects throughout the Commonwealth. You can also view here to see projects near your area.
Multiregional
Interstate Operations and Enhancement Program – In October of 2021, the CTB approved a suite of operational, multimodal, and capital improvement projects that are expected to deliver safer and more reliable travel along interstate corridors throughout the Commonwealth. Development on these projects began in early 2022 and will continue in phases through 2027. The full list of funded projects can be found here.
Western Virginia
Improve 81 – As part of the I-81 Corridor Improvement Plan, the entire corridor was studied and a suite of operational and capital improvement projects were selected to improve safety, congestion and accessibility. There are currently over 60 projects completed, underway or in the planning stages along the corridor. Construction on projects currently funded will continue through 2032, although this is an ongoing program and more projects are expected to be added every four years.
Northern Virginia
Transform I-66 Outside the Beltway – Project will add two express lanes in each direction on I-66 Outside the Beltway for 22 miles from I-495 (Capital Beltway) to Gainesville (University Boulevard), providing multi-modal improvements and more travel choices to ease congestion. There will be new transit service, park-and-ride lots and safety and operational improvements at key interchanges. Private sector team Express Mobility Partners will finance, design, build, maintain and operate the $2.1 billion project. No public investment is required and Express Mobility Partners will make an upfront payment of $500 million to fund additional improvements to the corridor. Construction starts in 2017.
Transform I-66 Inside the Beltway – Rush-hour tolling, expected to begin in 2017, will provide more travel choices and a more reliable commute. During morning and evening commutes, I-66 Inside the Beltway is currently restricted to carpools with two or more people. Once rush-hour tolling begins, for the first time, solo drivers will be able to use the interstate during peak hours in exchange for paying a toll. Carpools and vanpools will use the lanes for free. Commuters who choose not to drive will enjoy better and more frequent transit services, as well as other improvements that will be funded by toll revenues. A four-mile segment of eastbound I-66 from the Dulles Connector Road to Fairfax Drive will be widened, which will provide further congestion relief. Construction begins in early 2018.
395 Express Lanes Extension - Express Lanes will be extended about eight miles to the north reaching the D.C. line (expanding and converting two existing HOV lanes to three express lanes from north of Edsall Road to Eads Street near the Pentagon; adding Active Traffic Management system and modifying traffic operations at Eads Street Interchange, plus sound walls). Construction begins in 2017.
95 Express Lanes Extension – Construction is under way on the $31 million project to extend express lanes by 2.2 miles beyond the current flyover exit ramp at Garrisonville Road in Stafford County. The southbound ramp is scheduled to open in late 2017, and the northbound ramp will open in summer 2018. An additional eight mile southern extension to Fredericksburg is part of the Atlantic Gateway project to unlock the I-95 corridor. This section is being studied and developed.
Atlantic Gateway – The project got selected for a federal FASTLANE grant of $165 million, the largest grant amount awarded in the country. Resources for the project, including the federal grant, private investment and public funding, total $1.4 billion to address the worst bottlenecks on the I-95 corridor in Northern Virginia, transforming travel along the entire East Coast. The Atlantic Gateway project will bring 55 miles of benefits on the corridor, improving all modes of transportation.
Hampton Roads
I-64 Widening – This project in York and James City counties and Newport News will increase vehicle capacity, resulting in immediate congestion relief along one of the most heavily traveled and congested highway corridors on the Virginia Peninsula. Divided into three segments, improvements include widening this section of I-64 from a four-lane section to six-lanes for approximately 21 miles, starting west of Jefferson Avenue (Exit 255) in Newport News to just west of Newman Road (Exit 234) in York County.
Hampton Roads Crossing Study – The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) unanimously approved a preferred alternative to ease congestion and improve travel on the I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. Alternative A will widen about 12 miles of I-64 to a consistent six-lane facility from I-664 in Hampton to I-564 in Norfolk. The alternative includes a new parallel bridge tunnel. Alternative A is in the Hampton Roads Crossing Study Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
Central Virginia
Route 29 Solutions – These projects represent a significant investment in mobility and reducing congestion on the busiest north-south corridor in the Charlottesville / Albemarle County region. Project selection was the result of a process that included input from an advisory panel, local governments, residents and business and environmental groups from communities along the corridor. Eight improvement projects will increase capacity and efficiency along Route 29 and provide alternate routes on parallel roads to help reduce traffic on Route 29. Six projects were funded through construction; two additional projects will begin preliminary engineering once construction is complete in the fall of 2017.
Rail and Transit
Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor – The Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) has been working with North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia to advance high speed rail in the southeast. The corridor will connect Washington, D.C., Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, and Atlanta with a spur from Richmond to Hampton Roads.
Amtrak Northeast Regional Extension to Roanoke – Service to Roanoke, an extension of the highly-successful Lynchburg train, is among the most anticipated projects from DRPT. The agency has partnered with Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, and Roanoke to bring intercity passenger rail service back to the city for the first time in more than 34 years. The expected start date for service to is 2017.
GRTC Pulse – Bus rapid transit systems provide frequent, reliable travel that allows a greater movement of people along a corridor without depending solely on cars and parking. DRPT has been collaborating for over seven years with GRTC, Richmond and Henrico County to bring the realization of bus rapid transit to Richmond. The project, named GRTC Pulse, will run 7.6 miles on Broad Street between Willow Lawn in Henrico County and Rocketts Landing in Richmond. There will be 14 stations and over three miles of dedicated travel lanes. GRTC Pulse is on schedule to begin revenue service in fall 2017.