| Hampton Roads Beltway |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT HAMPTON ROADS BELTWAY | |
| transportation in virginia | |
| chesapeake, virginia | |
| hampton, virginia | |
| newport news, virginia | |
| norfolk, virginia | |
| suffolk, virginia | |
| virginia beach, virginia | |
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Hampton Roads Beltway is a loop of Interstate 64 and Interstate 664 highways which link the communities of the Virginia Peninsula and South Hampton Roads which surround the body of water known as Hampton Roads in the southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States . In January, 1997 , a 56-mile-long I-64/I-664 loop was designated by the Virginia Department of Transportation (and signed) as the Hampton Roads Beltway. This was chosen instead of renumbering the whole road to Interstate 864. I-64, the portion which was completed first, makes a huge 35 mile long arc around the area, from Hampton through portions of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake and around Portsmouth to reach Bower's Hill at the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp . The newer I-664 portion of 21 miles connects with I-64 at Bowers' Hill in Chesapeake and crosses through Suffolk and Newport News to reconnect with I-64 in Hampton, completing the loop. The beltway has the clockwise direction (as looking down at a map of the area) signed as the Inner Loop, and the counter-clockwise direction signed as the Outer Loop. Essentially, I-64 forms the eastern portion and I-664 the western portion of the beltway. HISTORY Building of Interstate 64 was the first priority in the region, and a portion of Interstate 264 through Portsmouth was completed even as I-64 finally reached its eastern terminus at Bower's Hill in Norfolk County (now the City Of Chesapeake ). Even before I-64 was built, from some of the earliest planning stages, there were hopes of a circumferential highway to interstate standards for Hampton Roads. Some proposals envisioned state and local and/or toll funding if necessary to achieve that goal. However, the Interstate 664 projects eventually were successful in reaching the goal in 1992. At one time, a proposal was floated to renumber Interstate 64 south of Interstate 664 in Hampton as Interstate 864, the Hampton Roads Beltway. However, this proposal was rejected by business leaders in the area who did not want to have an established two-digit Interstate replaced with a new three-digit Interstate. Had this proposal come to pass, Interstate 64 would have ended at its junction with Interstate 664. However, as a compromise, Interstate 64 southeast of Interstate 664 was signed as part of the Hampton Roads Beltway (Interstates 64 and 664), and it is easier to describe direction of travel as "inner" (clockwise) or "outer" (counterclockwise). BRIDGE-TUNNELS ACROSS HAMPTON ROADS A major aspect of the Interstate Highway system in the Hampton Roads area are the two Bridge-tunnel s which each cross the harbor of Hampton Roads. Each form a portion of the Hampton Roads Beltway, and they are the only direct crossings of Hampton Roads. Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) is the 3.5-mile-long Hampton Roads crossing for Interstate 64. It is comprised of Bridges , trestles, man made islands, and Tunnels under the main shipping channels at the mouth of Hampton Roads harbor leading to the Chesapeake Bay. It connects the independent cities of Hampton and Norfolk . Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel has two 12-foot-wide lanes each way, on separately built structures. The original two-lane structure replaced a Ferry system and opened November 1 , 1957 at a cost of $44 million dollars. Initially signed as Route 168 and U.S. Route 60 , the construction of the original Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel was funded with Toll Revenue Bond s. Although the I-64 designation was added, it operated as a two-lane Toll Facility for almost twenty years. The bonds were paid off by 1976. The construction of the $95 million second portion of the HRBT was funded as part of the Interstate Highway System as authorized under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, as a portion of I-64, which means that it was funded with 90% FHWA funds from the Highway Trust Fund and 10% state DOT funds. When the second span was opened to traffic in 1976, the tolls were removed. Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (MMMBT) is the 4.6 mile-long Hampton Roads crossing for Interstate 664. It is comprised of bridges, trestles, man made islands, and tunnels under the main shipping channels for Hampton Roads harbor. It connects the independent cities of Newport News and Suffolk . The MMMBT cost $400 million to build, and it includes a four-lane tunnel that is 4,800 feet long, two man-made portal islands, and 3.2 miles of twin trestle. It was named for the two Ironclad Warship s which engaged in the famous Battle Of Hampton Roads in 1862 during the American Civil War . The battle took place within approximately one mile of the current bridge-tunnel structure. MAJOR CITIES ALONG THE ROUTE
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