NORFOLK, Va. — The weather has caused several detours to drivers in Hampton Roads to be rescheduled.
Beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, January 11 and lasting through 5 a.m. Monday, January 14 drivers will have to take several roundabout routes to get to their destinations.
Originally, the construction and detours were planned for January 4 through January 7.
The detours will allow crews to reach another milestone as they near completion of the 64/264 Interchange Improvement Project.
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation:
- The detour for the I-64 west ramp to I-264 East (Exit 284B) will direct traffic to take the next exit (Exit 284A) and continue to ride the interchange cloverleaf ramps until they exit to I-264 east from I-64 east. Click here to view a map of this detour.
- The detour for Newtown Road (Exit 15A) will direct traffic to Witchduck Road (Exit 16) and back to Newtown Road via Virginia Beach Boulevard. Click here to view a map of this detour.
Already, drivers like Timothy Perry aren't looking forward to it.
“Oh man, it's gonna over-complicate things,” said Perry. “I can see it getting pretty bad.”
Dave Forster, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Transportation said drivers should prepare for these detours before hitting the road.
“This is the second busiest interchange in Virginia, it's the busiest in Hampton Roads, so a lot of people will be affected by this over the weekend cause it’s throughout the entire weekend,” said Forster.
While it may cause drivers more confusion, Forster said the work needs to be done and the weekend is the best time to do it.
VDOT recommends driver give themselves more time to get where they're going, and to look at alternate routes before getting behind the wheel.
Some drivers said they’ll just stay home.
“I’m not gonna be driving,” said Perry.
“It’s just gonna be too much traffic and you gotta drive for those around you. At least they waited till after the holidays.”
Possible bad weather could also delay the work. If that happens, the detours will be moved to the weekend of Jan. 11th-14th.
The entire 64/264 Interchange Improvement Project is expected to be complete by October 2019.
