The I-64 Gap is already congested, especially in the summer, causing a significant loss of time for truckers, work commuters, and tourists.

Our megaregion is in the process of creating entire new 21st century talent-attracting industries from off-shore wind to advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing. Closing the I-64 Gap will support these new jobs, enabling workers and suppliers reliable access.

Consider the recent announcement from AutoZone Inc., which plans to spend $185.2 million to establish an 800,000-square-foot distribution center in New Kent County, creating 352 new jobs on the I-64 Corridor. Trucks will need to use a congestion-free route on I-64 to transport products to and from the Port of Virginia and from the distribution center to stores on the East Coast. Bottlenecks and slowdowns can cause significant loss of time for truckers and workers. Adding a third lane in each direction will make a big difference.

Today, the Port supports 436,667 part-time and full-time jobs across Virginia and generates $2.7 billion in state and local taxes and fees. These numbers could grow dramatically.

The port is doing everything necessary to become the U.S. East Coast’s leading gateway for global trade. Between 2015 and 2025, the port will have invested $1.5 billion (over $700 million from the General Assembly) in its infrastructure. By 2024, it will be the deepest port on the U.S. East Coast and two-way traffic for the largest vessels. 

These attributes, combined with the fact that Hampton Roads is located within 40% of the U.S. population and has access to approximately 128 million consumers within one day’s drive, make it an ideal base from which to serve the large consumer and industrial markets located along the U.S. East Coast.

As I-64 is the port’s driveway, fully closing the I-64 Gap can maximize the port’s economic impact.

In 2020, 84.4 million visitors spent $17.5 billion in Virginia, supporting 255,764 jobs in the state. I-64 is a major part of Virginia’s tourism infrastructure, providing access to the Historic Triangle (Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown), as well access to the Virginia Beach and Outer Banks oceanfront areas.

Improving the connection alleviates congestion especially in the summer, helping to invite guests to come back and visit again.

Fully closing the I-64 Gap will help support this growth as I-64 is one the Commonwealth’s key travel arteries.

On the eastern edge of our megaregion, subsea cables connect the U.S. to Spain, France, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and very soon to South Africa. These are the fastest, highest capacity routes in the world.

On our western edge, in Henrico, Facebook has invested $2 billion in a huge data center campus. Henrico is also home to the world’s fourth largest internet integration center.

All along the corridor, public and private sector players are expanding terrestrial and wireless network capacity.

Our megaregion is on the way to becoming a Global Internet Hub. This designation will attract attention and, in turn, companies with high-paying tech jobs to our megaregion.

But this growing employment base must be able to move around and connect hassle-free. This will happen when we fully close the I-64 Gap.

Richmond and Hampton Roads host the largest concentration of military installations and federal research facilities in the country, and reliable movement of people, equipment, and materials on I-64 is a part of the role Virginia plays in national security.

That includes the largest Naval station in the world, NATO’s only North American command, as well as NASA Langley Research Center and the Department of Energy’s Jefferson Labs that employs over 3,000 people. Fort Lee in the Richmond region is home to $1.2 billion worth of new and expanded training and logistics schools.

Fully closing the I-64 Gap will provide our military with the reliability they need to effectively and efficiently manage their key logistics.

I-64 serves millions as the primary evacuation route during a hurricane or other natural disasters.

Fully closing the I-64 Gap will ensure the I-64 corridor is up for this important, and potentially life-saving task.

I-64 will work best when the entire Richmond-Hampton Roads system is built as planned, a network with three lanes in each direction. The 29-mile widening of the I-64 Gap is one of the final pieces to complete this network.