The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is currently in the planning stages of construction on an addition of Route 460, which runs East-to-West along the southern region of the state. The 55-mile stretch of highway will reach from Petersburg to Suffolk, which will close a gap in the highway. Officials are hoping to begin bringing in construction equipment and getting the project underway by early 2013, according to TideWaterNews.com. There are three construction companies submitting bids to win the contract for this project, and VDOT officials will award the contract in mid-December.
The new road will extend the current highway south through the Isle of Wight and Southampton counties, and according to the news source, the toll booths installed in this section will be strictly electronic toll-collection systems that accept E-ZPass. While this means there will be no toll operator jobs created as a result of this project, VDOT officials are predicting the construction project will bolster employment in the area.
"We think in the next five years, this will create 4,000 jobs during the construction phase," VDOT project manager Phil Rinehart told the news publication. "Projections are 14,000 new jobs. Hopefully we will get those jobs and do better."
The new highway will not only lengthen Route 460, but it will allow for seven interchanges between major highways, including Interstates 85 and 95, as well as Route 258 in Windsor. This will help to get large trucks off of Route 460 and improve hurricane evacuation routes. Predictions indicate that this construction project will cost between $1.4 and $1.8 million.
This is just one of many projects being planned by VDOT, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The state plans to spend as much as $42.6 million on repaving and new construction projects, which will be partially funded by tolls on I-95 and other major highways.
