NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A Virginia transportation board has chosen to expand the congestion-plagued Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.
Media outlets report the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the project, which includes adding a third tunnel and expanding from four lanes to six.
The bridge carries Interstate 64 across Hampton Roads harbor, near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, between Norfolk and Hampton. During tourist season, 100,000 vehicles a day drive across it.
The expansion was the cheapest and smallest of four proposals under consideration. The $4 billion project would be completed by 2024.
The new lanes would likely charge tolls unless a vehicle carries three people or more during peak hours. The existing lanes will remain free.
Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne called it a "historic day for Hampton Roads and the state."
