Project Overview
The $2.1 billion Downtown Tunnel/ Midtown Tunnel / Martin Luther King (MLK) Expressway Extension project is located in the cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk, in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. This three- facility project involves transportation improvements to two tunnels and one expressway. The project includes: 1) building a new two-lane tolled Midtown Tunnel parallel to the existing Midtown Tunnel below the Elizabeth River connecting Norfolk and Portsmouth, together with modifications to both tunnel approaches to improve traffic flow; 2) rehabilitating and upgrading the existing Downtown Tunnel to comply with current fire and life safety standards; and 3) extending the MLK Expressway (Route 58) 0.8 mile to the south in Portsmouth to connect with I-264. |
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The project has a wide array of goals. They include increasing travel options and regional accessibility, reducing congestion and travel times, extending the useful life of the existing tunnels, improving access to port facilities and goods movement, enhancing regional competitiveness, and creating jobs. The project will also improve safety by eliminating two-way traffic in the Midtown Tunnel and by bringing both the Midtown and Downtown Tunnels into compliance with current fire and safety standards.