Henrico stretch of I-64 will be repaved next year

The recession-delayed repaving of a stretch of Interstate 64 in Henrico County and the rehabilitation of Interstate 95 bridges in Richmond will go forward next year at a total cost of $163.3 million, state transportation officials said yesterday.

The $43.3 million I-64 project will repair and resurface 5.6 miles of much-patched pavement on both sides of the sixand eight-lane highway between Parham Road and the Bryan Park interchange with I-95.

Transportation Commissioner David S. Ekern yesterday also recommended a reprieve for around-the-clock James River ferry service and six interstate highway rest stops that were among 25 targeted for closure.

Paying for the 24-hour Jamestown-Scotland ferry and the rest stops will mean VDOT will have to drop regular motorist-service patrols in Richmond and western Virginia, at a savings of $6.5 million a year.

The highway agency expects to see a $2.6 billion reduction in state and federal revenues during the next six years, Ekern said, forcing the department to make transforming cuts in its construction, services and staff.

And, Ekern said, "the last dollar is the hard dollar to find."

To find a final $45 million in savings, after chopping $2 billion from the state's six-year road-construction program and laying off about 1,000 VDOT workers by March, Ekern recommended that the Commonwealth Transportation Board reduce highway service patrols, ferry service, roadside mowing, and the number of Virginia's interstate rest areas. If the board approves the reductions, they will become effective July 1.

For an increase in the state gasoline tax of "a dime a day or less," McCarthy said, "we wouldn't be talking about this at all."

The ferry and rest-area cuts drew strong opposition.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine ordered the busy ferry service across the James River be maintained, while truckers, local officials and the state's tourism industry hit the roof over the initially proposed closure of 25 of the state's 42 rest areas.

Four of the rest areas saved from being shut down in July are on Interstate 81 in western Virginia -- Radford southbound, Ironto northbound, Fairfield southbound and New Market northbound -- while the other two are truck-only areas at Dale City in Northern Virginia.

"We're pleased they addressed what was our main safety concern," said Dale Bennett with the Virginia Trucking Association, which objected to any reduction in the number of places for truckers to park and rest.

Shutting down any rest areas "is a disgrace," said Megan Svajda with the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association. "It's still unfortunate that right in the midst of tourist season, they're closing all these rest areas."

In metropolitan Richmond, the $120 million I-95 bridge project will rebuild 11 bridges dating from the mid-1950s along a 7-mile stretch of I-95 between Lombardy Street and Henrico's Upham Brook.

"These are critical infrastructure needs that happen to be in Richmond," said state Transportation Board Member Gerald P. McCarthy of Richmond.

Work should start on the I-64 repaving and I-95 bridge projects by next spring, said VDOT's chief engineer, Malcolm T. Kerley.

Contact Peter Bacqué at (804) 649-6813 or .