THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 15, 1994 TAG: 9409150482
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
The expressway-style highway under construction between Raleigh and Norfolk will lengthen the journey by 45 minutes compared with the route most drivers now take, said a study released Wednesday.
For drivers using the current standard route of U.S. 58 and Interstate 95, the trip between the two cities averages 2.9 hours and covers 165 miles, said the study by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission.
Drivers using the new route along Route 104, U.S. 17 and U.S. 64 through eastern North Carolina would take 3.6 hours and drive 197 miles, even after about $500 million in highway improvements are made, the study said.
The study was prepared as local and state officials debate what kind of highway to build from Norfolk to the state line.
The bulk of the route from Norfolk to Raleigh - 175 of the 200 miles - is in North Carolina, which has begun construction of and is investing more than $400 million in the project. The state is widening and modernizing sections of U.S. 17 and U.S. 64 and expects to complete the work by the year 2000, said Dwight Farmer, a transportation planner with the Hampton Roads Planning District.
Virginia's project would involve the 15 miles along Route 104 and U.S. 17 from I-464 in Chesapeake to the state line.
Some local officials have favored expanding Route 104 and U.S. 17 to a full limited-access highway, similar to an interstate. Others have favored a less expensive plan of making the highway four lanes with a 55 mph speed limit, but more access points. Building an interstate-style highway would cost $250 million, while an expressway-style highway would cost $70 million, planning officials said.
After Wednesday's presentation at the monthly meeting of the Planning District Commission, officials seemed to favor the less expensive project if a high speed limit could be maintained.
Farmer said the $70 million project would be more feasible and the time savings with the $250 million project would not be significant.
Much of the highway to North Carolina that would be upgraded passes through swampy land, Farmer said. The state would not have to worry about development alongside much of the road, he said, because environmental regulations would prevent it.
At the urging of commission member Mason Andrews from Norfolk, the commission passed a resolution urging the Virginia Department of Transportation to assign a high priority to building a modern, convenient highway between northeast North Carolina and Hampton Roads.
KEYWORDS: PROPOSED EXPRESSWAY HIGHWAY NORTH CAROLINA RALEIGH by CNB