Studies

Bowers Hill Interchange Improvements Study

Cities of Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Suffolk

Area Maps

Project at a Glance

Begin Date
EIS Begin Date: August 2020 / EA Begin Date: February 2018

Est Completion Date
EIS Completion Date: Spring 2024 / EA Completion Date: 2019/2020

Phase
EIS

Locality
Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and Suffolk

District
Hampton Roads

Contact
Hampton Roads Public Affairs
757-956-3032

Fall 2023 Update

The Bowers Hill Interchange Improvements Study evaluates options to improve the Bowers Hill Interchange in the cities of Chesapeake, Suffolk and Portsmouth and covers the junction of I-664, I-64, I-264, U.S. Route 13, U.S. Route 58, U.S. Route 460 and VA Route 191 (Jolliff Road), as well as seven miles of I-664 to College Drive (exit 8A).

On July 28, 2023, the Notice of Availability of the Bowers Hill Interchange Improvements Study Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was published in the Federal Register.

Two public hearings were offered in late August 2023, one virtual (Aug. 29) and one in-person (Aug. 30). The purpose of these meetings was to present findings from the DEIS, prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and to solicit comments. The DEIS presents analysis of the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed transportation improvements. Public comments were collected through September 11, 2023.

In compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 and 36 CFR Part 800, information concerning the potential effects of the proposed project on properties listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places was provided in the environmental documentation.

AUGUST 2023 PUBLIC HEARING MATERIALS

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Current Newsletter

Draft Environmental Impact Statement - Published July 28, 2023

Click here to review the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

On July 28, 2023, the Notice of Availability of the Bowers Hill Interchange Improvements Study Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was published in the Federal Register. The DEIS, its appendices and supporting documentation are available for public review and comment until September 11, 2023.

Bowers Hill DEIS Appendices

Technical Reports

Air Quality

Alternatives Technical Report

Cultural Resources Assessment

Environmental Justice

Hazardous Materials

Appendices A -F

Indirect and Cumulative Effects

Natural Resources

Noise Analysis

Socioeconomic, Land Use and Right-of-Way

Traffic and Transportation

Appendices A-E

Visual Assessment Technical Memorandum

Spring 2022 Public Hearing Materials

What's Happened

In May 2022, VDOT presented the Recommended Preferred Alternative first to the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) Transportation Technical Advisory Committee on May 4, and then to the HRTPO Policy Board on May 19, where HRTPO endorsed VDOT’s Recommended Preferred Alternative.

In April 2022, the Bowers Hill Interchange Improvements Study public hearings were held virtually April 26 at 5:30 p.m., and in-person April 27 from 5-7 p.m. at the Hampton Roads District office in Suffolk. The comment period remained open through May 7 and feedback shared via the online survey and in writing became part of the public record.

In February 2022, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued the Notice of Intent (NOI) for the Bowers Hill Interchange Improvements Study, formally initiating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process on February 18. The NOI included information on the purpose and need, the alternatives retained for detailed study in the EIS and alternatives considered but not advanced, schedule details, and a summary of study information developed to date. Comments were collected through March 21, 2022.

The study will help identify potential short-term and long-term operational improvements and study boundary limits will be informed by scoping and refined through the course of the study. While the study will result in the identification of a specific improvement and impact estimates, those impacts are only estimates and final impacts would not be known until the project advances beyond the current study phase to more detailed design. Using input gathered from the online survey and field data collected in 2020, VDOT developed the preliminary Purpose and Need to present to concurring, cooperating and participating agencies and has developed a range of concepts that potentially address those needs.

Information Gathered in 2021

Study History

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), initiated the environmental review process for the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate potential transportation improvements at the Bowers Hill interchange in 2018. Following issuance of the EA, the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO), in consultation with HRTAC, VDOT, and FHWA, expanded the Bowers Hill Interchange Improvements study area to include a larger study area into Suffolk, including approximately seven additional miles north along Interstate I-664 to College Drive (exit 8A). Considerations also included how the study area would interact with Express Lanes that are planned for portions of I-64 east of the study area. In July 2020, residents in the expanded Bowers Hill study area received a letter from VDOT informing them field work was underway to assess wetlands, streams, threatened and endangered species, wildlife and habitat, historic properties, community facilities, and other resources. Receiving a letter did not mean the property will be impacted but that it is close enough to I-664 where information is needed. This documented data helped inform the future study, including the identification of impacts of the alternative concepts presented in Feb. 2021. Feedback was shared in a Citizen Comment Opportunity through March 25, 2021 regarding the concepts and the comments shared via the online survey and in writing became part of the public record.

Information Gathered Prior to 2021

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Page last modified: Nov. 1, 2023