Four Hampton Roads projects that will impact regional economic development
(Pilot Online – The Hampton Roads, VA Business Journal – April 1, 2016)
The federal transportation bond bill includes the designation of U.S. Route 64 and U.S. Route 17 as a “high priority corridor.” This distinction is the first step toward upgrading the route to federal interstate standards. The project, known as Interstate 44, would connect Norfolk and the Port of Virginia, the deepest port on the eastern seaboard, with Raleigh, the fourth-fastest growing city in America.
As Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance business leadership group from Raleigh, said: “A future interstate designation between Raleigh and Hampton Roads will provide an economic lifeline … by linking urban, suburban, and rural job centers and communities together while providing several counties their first direct access to the interstate system.”