(abbreviated '''I-264''') is an unusual 3-digit interstate that contains ''both'' a bypass ''and'' a spur off
Interstate 64 in the
Hampton Roads area of
Virginia . It also features a
Drawbridge , a rarity on the U.S.
Interstate Highway System .
The
Elizabeth River separates
Norfolk and
Portsmouth, Virginia . The bypass section of I-264 is a direct connection to downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth, and links the two cities through the
Berkley Bridge , a cantilevered
Drawbridge over the East Branch of the Elizabeth River, and the dual-tube
Downtown Tunnel under the South Branch of the Elizabeth River. Interstate 464 connects with it at the point in the Berkley section of Norfolk between the Berkley Bridge and the Downtown Tunnel.
The western end of I-264 connects directly with
Interstate 664 and has an interchange with
Interstate 64 at a portion of the
Hampton Roads Beltway near
Bower's Hill and the
Great Dismal Swamp . The bypass segment of I-264, which passes through downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth, is the originally-designated I-264, and it is about a mile shorter than the main leg it bypasses.
The spur section of I-264 is effectively a continuation of the bypass portion, running from its intersection with I-64 on the eastern portion of the
Hampton Roads Beltway due east toward
Virginia Beach 's oceanfront seaside resort district, officially ending at a traffic light at Parks Avenue. Beyond this point, the road itself continues as a pair of one-way streets--21st and 22nd Streets--before finally terminating at Atlantic Avenue, one block beyond an intersection with
U.S. Route 60 . This portion was originally built with toll revenue bond financing as the
Virginia Beach Expressway , a toll road designated as Virginia State Route 44. After the bonds were retired and tolls were removed in 1995, Virginia Route 44 was converted to a freeway, and in 1999, the I-264 designation was added.
When
I-64 was augmented in the 1990's with reversible
HOV lanes, the spur section of I-264 (then Route 44) was designated as the eastern terminus of the reversible lanes and one of the only direct exits from/entrances to the HOV lanes.
The Berkley Bridge is one of only a
Small Number Of Drawbridges on the
Interstate Highway System .
